It has a high canopy with a typical clearance of 7 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It has no significant negative characteristics.ĭrummond Red Maple is recommended for the following landscape applications ĭrummond Red Maple will grow to be about 50 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 40 feet. This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. The furrowed silver bark and brick red branches add an interesting dimension to the landscape.ĭrummond Red Maple is a deciduous tree with a shapely oval form. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up. It is clothed in stunning clusters of red flowers along the branches from late winter to early spring before the leaves. The fuzzy lobed palmate leaves are highly ornamental and turn outstanding shades of red and yellow in the fall. rubrum varieties intolerant of alkaline soils makes a great accent or street treeĭrummond Red Maple has attractive green foliage with white undersides which emerges red in spring on a tree with an oval habit of growth. 13, § 1.Other Names: Drummond's Maple, Swamp Maple, Scarlet MapleĪ very attractive shade tree with 3 to 5 lobed green leaves that have silvery, fuzzy undersides prefers moist, swampy sites, not as cold hardy as other A. – The tree commonly known as the “red maple” (acer rubrum) is hereby designated as the state tree. In forest, trunk usually clear for some distance, in the open the trunk is shorter and the crown rounded. Twig: Reddish and lustrous with small lenticels, buds usually blunt, green or reddish (fall and winter) with several scales usually present, leaf scars V-shaped, 3 bundle scars, lateral buds slightly stalked, may be collateral buds present.īark: On young trees, smooth and light gray, with age becomes darker and breaks up into long scaly plates.įorm: Medium-sized tree. Leaf: Opposite, 3 to 5 palmate lobes with serrate margins, sinuses relatively shallow (but variable), 2 to 4 inches long light green above, whitened and sometimes glaucous or hairy beneath.įlower: Appear March to May, usually before leaves usually bright red but occasionally yellow.įruit: Clusters of 1/2 to 3/4 inch long fruit with slighly divergent wings, appear May to June, on long slender stems. It ranks high as a shade tree for landscapes. It has great ecological amplitude from sea level to about 900 m (3,000 ft) and grows over a wide range of microhabitat sites. It is classed as shade tolerant and as a prolific sprouter. Red maple is a subclimax species that can occupy over story space but is usually replaced by other species. On good sites, however, it may grow fast with good form and quality for saw logs. Many foresters consider the tree inferior and undesirable because it is often poorly formed and defective, especially on poor sites. Identification of the Red Maple Rhode Island State Tree: Red Maple Red maple is also known as scarlet maple, swamp maple, soft maple, Carolina red maple, Drummond red maple, and water maple. In past times, tannin was extracted from Red Maple trees for clothing dye and ink production. The tree produces high quality sugar, but its yield pales in comparison to the Sugar Maple and Black Maple due primarily to the fact that it begins growth much earlier in the season resulting in a shorter sugar collection period. It is commonly used in products like clothespins, veneer, interior moldings, and inexpensive furniture.