Sugar maple
Acer saccharum Marshall
Also called sugar maple, hard maple.
Long-lived, dense-crowned shade tree and the classic source of orange-red New England fall colour. Best in deep, cool, well-drained soils.
Size over time
Typical landscape size 15–22 m (49–72 ft) tall and 10–15 m (33–49 ft) wide; medium growth, about 25 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.25) from the BB-2in install size.
Design notes
- Sensitive to road salt, soil compaction and reflected heat; a poor street tree in tight urban sites.
- In the Southeast use only at higher elevations; it struggles in coastal-plain heat.
- Dense shade and shallow roots make lawn beneath difficult — plan shade-tolerant groundcover.
Regions
Native range: Eastern Canada and the northeastern and central U.S., south in the Appalachians.
Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:
Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.
Related plants
Plan with Sugar maple
Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.