Editing Acer saccharum

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant in the family Sapindaceae}}
{{Distinguish|text=[[Acer saccharinum]], the silver maple}}
{{Use dmy dates|cs1-dates=ly|date=July 2020}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = 
| image = Acer saccharum 1-jgreenlee (5098070608).jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |author=Barstow, M.|author2=Crowley, D.|author3=Rivers, M.C. |title=''Acer saccharum'' |page=e.T193863A2287314 |year=2017 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T193863A2287314.en |access-date=6 November 2022}}</ref>
| status2 = G5
| status2_system = TNC
| status2_ref =
| genus = Acer
| display_parents = 2
| parent = Acer ser. Saccharodendron
| species = saccharum
| authority = [[Humphry Marshall|Marshall]]
| range_map = Acer saccharum range map 1.png
| range_map_caption  = [[Indigenous (ecology)|Native range]] of ''Acer saccharum''
| synonyms =
{{hidden begin}}
* ''Acer barbatum'' auct. non <small>Michx.</small>
* ''Acer barbatum'' f. ''commune'' <small>Ashe</small>
* ''Acer floridanum'' <small>(Chapm.) Pax</small>
* ''Acer hispidum'' <small>Schwer.</small>
* ''Acer leucoderme'' <small>Small</small>
* ''Acer nigrum'' <small>F. Michx.</small>
* ''Acer nigrum'' var. ''glaucum'' <small>(Schmidt) Fosberg</small>
* ''Acer nigrum'' subsp. ''saccharophorum'' <small>(K.Koch) R.T.Clausen</small>
* ''Acer palmifolium'' <small>Borkh.</small>
* ''Acer palmifolium'' var. ''concolor'' <small>Schwer.</small>
* ''Acer palmifolium'' f. ''euconcolor'' <small>Schwer.</small>
* ''Acer palmifolium'' f. ''glabratum'' <small>Schwer.</small>
* ''Acer palmifolium'' f. ''glaucum'' <small>(Pax) Schwer.</small>
* ''Acer palmifolium'' var. ''glaucum'' <small>Sarg.</small>
* ''Acer palmifolium'' f. ''integrilobum'' <small>Schwer.</small>
* ''Acer rugelii'' <small>Pax</small>
* ''Acer saccharinum'' var. ''glaucum'' <small>Pax</small>
* ''Acer saccharinum'' var. ''viride'' <small>Schmidt</small>
* ''Acer saccharophorum'' <small>K.Koch</small>
* ''Acer saccharophorum'' f. ''angustilobatum'' <small>Vict. & J.Rousseau</small>
* ''Acer saccharophorum'' f. ''conicum'' <small>(Fernald) J.Rousseau</small>
* ''Acer saccharophorum'' f. ''glaucum'' <small>(Schmidt) J.Rousseau</small>
* ''Acer saccharophorum'' var. ''rugelii'' <small>(Pax) J.Rousseau</small>
* ''Acer saccharophorum'' var. ''subvestitum'' <small>Vict. & Roll.-Germ.</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' f. ''angustilobatum'' <small>(Vict. & J.Rousseau) A.E.Murray </small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' f. ''conicum'' <small>Fernald</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' f. ''euconcolor'' <small>Pax</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' f. ''glabratum'' <small>Pax</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' f. ''glaucum'' <small>(Schmidt) Pax</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' var. ''glaucum'' <small>(Schmidt) Sarg.</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' var. ''glaucum'' <small>Pax</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' f. ''hispidum'' <small>(Schwer.) A.E.Murray</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' f. ''integrilobum'' <small>Pax</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' f. ''pubescens'' <small>Pax</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' var. ''quinquelobulatum'' <small>A.E.Murray</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' f. ''rubrocarpum'' <small>A.E.Murray</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' f. ''subvestitum'' <small>(Vict. & Roll.-Germ.) A.E.Murray</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' f. ''truncatum'' <small>Pax</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' f. ''villipes'' <small>(Rehder) A.E.Murray</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' f. ''villosum'' <small>Pax</small>
* ''Acer saccharum'' var. ''viride'' <small>(Schmidt) A.E.Murray</small>
* ''Acer saccharophorum'' <small>K.Koch</small>
* ''Acer skutchii'' <small>Rehder</small>
* ''Acer subglaucum'' <small>Bush</small>
* ''Acer subglaucum'' var. ''sinuosum'' <small>Bush</small>
* ''Acer treleaseanum'' <small>Bush</small>
* ''Saccharodendron saccharum'' <small>(Marshall) Moldenke</small>
{{hidden end}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2616387|title=Acer saccharum Marshall — The Plant List|website=www.theplantlist.org}}</ref>
}}

'''''Acer saccharum''''', the '''sugar maple''', is a species of [[flowering plant]] in the [[soapberry]] and [[lychee]] family [[Sapindaceae]]. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern [[Canada]] and the eastern United States.<ref name=grin>{{GRIN|1227|Acer saccharum}}</ref> Sugar maple is best known for being the primary source of [[maple syrup]] and for its brightly colored fall foliage.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sugar Maple Tree Facts: Sugar Maple Tree Growing Information|date=28 December 2015 |url=https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/maple/planting-sugar-maple-trees.htm|publisher=gardeningknowhow.com|access-date=2017-06-29}}</ref> It may also be called "rock maple," "sugar tree," "sweet maple," or, particularly in reference to the wood, "hard maple,"<ref>{{cite web |last1=Meier |first1=Eric |title=Hard Maple |url=https://www.wood-database.com/hard-maple/ |website=The Wood Database |access-date=11 December 2020}}</ref> "[[Bird's eye figure|birds-eye maple]]," or "curly maple," the last two being specially [[Figure (wood)|figured]] lumber.<ref name="Grandtner2005">{{cite book|author=M.M. Grandtner|title=Elsevier's Dictionary of Trees: Volume 1: North America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yjc5ZYWtkNAC&pg=PA24|date=8 April 2005|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=978-0-08-046018-5|pages=24–}}</ref><ref name="Society1900">{{cite book|author=Michigan State Horticultural Society|title=Annual Report|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_9vNAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA283|year=1900|publisher=Michigan State Horticultural Society|pages=283–}}</ref>

== Description ==
''Acer saccharum'' is a [[deciduous]] [[tree]] normally reaching heights of {{convert|25|–|35|m|ft|round=5|abbr=on}},<ref name=nopd>{{cite web |website=Northern Ontario Plant Database |url=http://www.northernontarioflora.ca/description.cfm?speciesid=1000053 |title=Acer saccharum}}</ref><ref name=obs>{{cite web |website=Oklahoma Biological Survey |url=http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/shrub/acsa3.htm |title=Acer saccharum |access-date=24 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109224350/http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/shrub/acsa3.htm |archive-date=9 November 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and exceptionally up to {{convert|45|m|ft|-1|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nativetreesociety.org/fieldtrips/gsmnp/gsmnp_tall_trees.htm |title=GSMNP tall trees |publisher=Nativetreesociety.org |access-date=2011-03-03}}</ref> A 10-year-old tree is typically about {{convert|5|m|ft|-1|abbr=on}} tall. As with most trees, forest-grown sugar maples form a much taller trunk and narrower canopy than open-growth ones.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

The [[leaf|leaves]] are deciduous, up to {{convert|20|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and wide,<ref name=nopd /> palmate, with five lobes and borne in opposite pairs. The basal lobes are relatively small, while the upper lobes are larger and deeply notched. In contrast with the angular notching of the [[silver maple]], however, the notches tend to be rounded at their interior. The fall color is often spectacular, ranging from bright yellow on some trees through orange to fluorescent red-orange on others. Sugar maples also have a tendency to color unevenly in fall. In some trees, all colors above can be seen at the same time. They also share a tendency with [[red maple]]s for certain parts of a mature tree to change color weeks ahead of or behind the remainder of the tree. The leaf buds are pointy and brown-colored. The recent year's growth twigs are green, and turn dark brown.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sugar Maple |url=https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/sugar-maple |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241222144809/https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/sugar-maple |archive-date=December 22, 2024 |access-date=February 1, 2025 |website=Missouri Department of Conservation |language=en}}</ref>

The [[flower]]s are in [[panicle]]s of five to ten together, yellow-green and without [[petal]]s; flowering occurs in early spring after 30–55 [[growing degree day]]s. The sugar maple will generally begin flowering when it is between 10 and 200 years old. The fruit is a pair of [[Samara (fruit)|samara]]s (winged seeds). The seeds are globose, {{convert|7|–|10|mm|in|frac=32|abbr=on}} in diameter, the wing {{convert|2|–|3|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} long. The seeds fall from the tree in autumn, where they must be exposed to 45 days of temperatures below {{convert|4|C|F}} to break their coating down. Germination of ''A. saccharum'' is slow, not taking place until the following spring when the soil has warmed and all frost danger is past.<ref name="CopelandMcDonald2001">{{Cite book|author1=Lawrence O. Copeland|author2=M. B. McDonald|title=Principles of seed science and technology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cS6rfHocXg4C&pg=PA194|year=2001|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-0-7923-7322-3}}</ref>{{Request quotation|date=February 2015}}
It is closely related to the [[black maple]], which is sometimes included in this species, but sometimes separated as ''Acer nigrum''. The [[bigtooth maple|western sugar maple]] (''Acer grandidentatum'') and [[Acer floridanum|southern sugar maple]] (''Acer floridanum'') are also treated as a varieties or subspecies of northern sugar maple by some botanists.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Acer grandidentatum {{!}} Landscape Plants {{!}} Oregon State University |url=https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/acer-grandidentatum |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Acer grandidentatum |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/acegra/all.html |website=www.fs.usda.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Acer barbatum Michx. |url=https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_2/acer/barbatum.htm |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=www.srs.fs.usda.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin |url=https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ACFL |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=www.wildflower.org}}</ref>

The sugar maple can be confused with the [[Norway maple]], which is not native to America but is commonly planted in cities and suburbs, and they are not closely related within the genus. The sugar maple is most easily identified by clear sap in the leaf [[Petiole (botany)|petiole]] (the Norway maple has white sap), brown, sharp-tipped buds (the Norway maple has blunt, green or reddish-purple buds), and shaggy bark on older trees (the Norway maple bark has small grooves). Also, the leaf lobes of the sugar maple have a more triangular shape, in contrast to the squarish lobes of the Norway maple.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Norway Maple – New York Invasive Species Information|url=http://nyis.info/invasive_species/norway-maple/|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Invasive Species Identification Sheet - Norway Maple|url=https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ct/technical/ecoscience/invasive/?cid=nrcs142p2_011121|website=Natural Resources Conservation Service Connecticut|access-date=2020-05-26|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308191524/https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ct/technical/ecoscience/invasive/?cid=nrcs142p2_011121|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Maple birch2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|{{resize|110%|Sugar maple-yellow birch forest, [[Jacques-Cartier National Park]], Quebec, Canada}}]]
<gallery mode=packed>
File:Sugar maple.jpg|Sugar Maple terminal bud
File:Sugar Maple Acer saccharum Trunk base 3264px.jpg|Bark
File:2017-04-10 18 43 41 Sugar Maple flowers along Franklin Farm Road near Tranquility Lane in the Franklin Farm section of Oak Hill, Fairfax County, Virginia.jpg|Flowers in spring
File:Acer saccharum seeds.jpg|A pair of samaras
File:2014-11-02 15 08 37 Sugar Maple foliage during autumn along Parkway Avenue in Ewing, New Jersey.jpg|Closeup of autumn foliage
File:Autumn leaves (pantone) crop.jpg|Seasonal leaf color change
</gallery>

== Ecology ==
The sugar maple is an extremely important species to the ecology of many forests in the northern United States and Canada. Pure stands are common, and it is a major component of the [[northern hardwood forest|northern]] and Midwestern U.S. hardwood forests. Due to its need for cold winters, sugar maple is mostly found north of the 42nd parallel in USDA growing zones 3–5. It is less common in the southern part of its range (USDA Zone 6) where summers are hot and humid; there sugar maple is confined to ravines and moist flatlands. In the east, south of [[Maryland]], it is limited to the Appalachians. In the west, [[Tennessee]] represents the southern limit of its range and [[Missouri]] its southwestern limit. Collection of sap for sugar is also not possible in the southern part of sugar maple's range as winter temperatures do not become cold enough.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

The minimum seed-bearing age of sugar maple is about 30 years. The tree is long-lived, typically 200 years and occasionally as much as 300.

Sugar maple is native to areas with cooler climates and requires a hard freeze each winter for proper dormancy. In northern parts of its range, January temperatures average about {{convert|-18|C|F}} and July temperatures about {{convert|16|C|F}}; in southern parts, January temperatures average about {{convert|10|C|F}} and July temperatures average almost {{convert|27|C|F}}.<ref>{{Silvics |volume=2 |genus=Acer |species=saccharum |first1=Richard M. |last1=Godman |first2=Harry W. |last2=Yawney |first3=Carl H. |last3=Tubbs}}</ref> Seed germination also requires extremely low temperatures, the optimal being just slightly above freezing, and no other known tree species has this property. Germination of sugar maple seed in temperatures above {{convert|50|F|C}} is rare to nonexistent.

''Acer saccharum'' is among the most [[shade tolerant]] of large deciduous trees. Its shade tolerance is exceeded only by the [[striped maple]], a smaller tree. Like other maples, its shade tolerance is manifested in its ability to germinate and persist under a closed canopy as an understory plant, and respond with rapid growth to the increased light formed by a gap in the canopy. Sugar maple can tolerate virtually any soil type short of pure sand, but does not tolerate xeric or swampy conditions.

Sugar maples are deeper-rooted than most maples and engage in [[Hydraulic redistribution|hydraulic lift]], drawing water from lower soil layers and exuding that water into upper, drier soil layers. This not only benefits the tree itself, but also many other plants growing around it.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Hydraulic lift and its influence on the water content of the rhizosphere: an example from sugar maple, Acer saccharum |doi=10.1007/BF00334651 |pmid=28307839 |volume=108 |journal=Oecologia |pages=273–278|year=1996 |last1=Emerman |first1=Steven H. |last2=Dawson |first2=Todd E. |s2cid=38275842 |issue=2 |bibcode=1996Oecol.108..273E }}</ref>

The mushroom ''[[Pholiota squarrosoides]]'' is known to decay the logs of the tree.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Halama |first=Marek |date=January 2011 |title=First record of the rare species Pholiota squarrosoides (Agaricales, Strophariaceae) in southwestern Poland |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236153077|journal=Polish Botanical Journal |access-date=10 August 2019}}</ref>

Human influences have contributed to the decline of the sugar maple in many regions. Its role as a species of mature forests has led it to be replaced by more opportunistic species in areas where forests are cut over. The sugar maple also exhibits a greater susceptibility to pollution than other species of maple. [[Acid rain]] and [[soil acidification]] are some of the primary contributing factors to [[maple decline]]. Also, the increased use of salt over the last several decades on streets and roads for deicing purposes has decimated the sugar maple's role as a street tree.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sugar Maple Faces Extinction Threat|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/07/us/sugar-maple-faces-extinction-threat.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=7 December 1986 |access-date=11 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Sugar Maples Fall Victim to Road Salt|url=http://archive.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/03/06/sugar_maples_fall_victim_to_road_salt/|newspaper=The Boston Globe|access-date=11 April 2018|first1=Stephanie V.|last1=Siek}}</ref>

In some parts of New England, particularly near urbanized areas, the sugar maple is being displaced by the [[Acer platanoides|Norway maple]]. The Norway maple is also highly shade tolerant, but is considerably more tolerant of urban conditions, resulting in the sugar maple's replacement in those areas. In addition, Norway maple produces much larger crops of seeds, allowing it to out-compete native species.

== Cultivation and uses ==
=== Maple syrup and other food use{{anchor|Maple syrup}}{{anchor|Food use}}{{anchor|As food}} ===
[[File:Maple sap buckets - Beaver Meadow Audubon Center.jpg|thumb|right|Collecting sap from sugar maples]]
The sugar maple is one of the most important [[Trees of Canada|Canadian trees]], being, with the [[Acer nigrum|black maple]], the major source of sap for making [[maple syrup]].<ref name=Heilingmann>{{cite web|last=Heilingmann |first=Randall B |title=Hobby Maple Syrup Production (F-36-02) |url=http://ohioline.osu.edu/for-fact/0036.html |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20020917225722/http://ohioline.osu.edu/for-fact/0036.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2002-09-17 |publisher=Ohio State University }}</ref> Other maple species can be used as a sap source for maple syrup, but some have lower sugar content and/or produce more cloudy syrup than these two.<ref name=Heilingmann /> In maple syrup production from ''Acer saccharum'', the sap is extracted from the trees using a tap placed into a hole drilled through the phloem, just inside the bark. The collected sap is then boiled. As the sap boils, the water evaporates and the syrup is left behind. Forty gallons of maple sap produces 1 gallon of syrup. In the southern part of their range, sugar maples produce little sap; syrup production is dependent on the tree growing in cooler climates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nfs.unl.edu/CommunityForestry/Trees/SugarMaple.pdf|title=Sugar Maple: Nebraska Forest Service|website=Nebraska Forest Service|access-date=1 February 2019}}</ref>

Additionally, the samaras (seeds) can be soaked, and—with their wings removed—boiled, seasoned, and roasted to make them edible.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Elias|first1=Thomas S. |title=Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods |last2=Dykeman|first2=Peter A. |publisher=[[Sterling Publishing]] |year=2009|isbn=978-1-4027-6715-9|location=New York |pages=125–26 |oclc=244766414|orig-year=1982}}</ref> The young leaves and inner bark can be eaten either raw or cooked.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Angier |first=Bradford|year=1974|title=Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants |url=https://archive.org/details/fieldguidetoedib00angi/page/135/mode/2up |publisher=Stackpole Books |isbn=0-8117-0616-8 |location=Harrisburg, PA|pages=135|oclc=799792|author-link=Bradford Angier}}</ref>

=== Timber ===
[[File:Houghilluminated.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Ultra-thin sugar maple sections from [[Romeyn Beck Hough]]'s ''American Woods''. From top to bottom, the image displays transverse, radial and tangential sections. The adjacent image shows light passing through the specimens. Note, while the title of the image in the original book is "Acer Saccharinum", sugar maple is actually ''Acer saccharum''. ''Acer saccharinum'' is a different species better known as silver leaf maple.]]
The [[sapwood (wood)|sapwood]] can be white, and smaller logs may have a higher proportion of this desirable wood.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Daniel L. Cassens|title=Hard or sugar maple |url=https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-287-W.pdf |publisher=Purdue University:Purdue Extension}}</ref> Bowling alleys and [[bowling pins]] are both commonly manufactured from sugar maple. Trees with wavy [[wood grain]], which can occur in curly, quilted, and "[[birdseye maple]]" forms, are especially valued. Maple is also the wood used for [[basketball court]]s, including the floors used by the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]], and it is a popular wood for [[baseball bats]], along with [[Fraxinus americana|white ash]]. In recent years, because white ash has become threatened by [[emerald ash borer]], sugar maple wood has increasingly displaced ash for baseball bat production. It is also widely used in the manufacture of musical instruments, such as the members of the violin family (sides and back), guitars (neck), grand pianos (rim), and drum shells. It is also often used in the manufacture of sporting goods.<ref name = usda>{{Cite web|title=Sugar Maple Plant Guide |url=https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_acsa3.pdf |publisher=[[United States Department of Agriculture]]|access-date=11 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=8 October 2020 |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/lenny-kravitz-designs-a-showstopping-piano-for-steinway-and-sons|title=Lenny Kravitz Designs a Showstopping Piano for Steinway & Sons |first=David|last=Kaufman |website=Architectural Digest}}</ref>

Canadian maple, often referred to as "Canadian hardrock maple", is prized for [[pool cue]]s, especially the shafts. Some production-line cues will use lower-quality maple wood with cosmetic issues, such as "sugar marks", which are most often light brown discolorations caused by sap in the wood. The best shaft wood has a very consistent grain, with no marks or discoloration. Sugar marks usually do not affect how the cue plays, but are not as high quality as those without it. The wood is also used in skateboards, gunstocks, and flooring for its strength.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}<ref name=usda/> Canadian hardrock maple is also used in the manufacture of [[electric guitar]] necks due to its high [[torsional]] stability and the bright, crisp resonant tone it produces. If the grain is [[Curly maple|curly]], with flame or quilt patterns, it is usually reserved for more expensive instruments. In high-end guitars this wood is sometimes [[Torrefaction|Torrefied]] to cook out the [[Lignin]] resins, allowing the greater stability to climate & environmental changes, and to enhance its tonal characteristics as the instrument's resonance is more evenly distributed across the cellulose structure of the wood without the lignin.

=== Urban planting ===
[[File:2014-11-02 15 25 30 Sugar Maple during autumn along Patton Drive in Ewing, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|upright|Sugar maple in a suburban landscape]]
Sugar maple was a favourite street and park tree during the 19th century because it was easy to propagate and transplant, is fairly fast-growing, and has beautiful autumn colour. As noted above, however, it proved too delicate to continue in that role after the rise of automobile-induced pollution and was replaced by [[Norway maple]] and other hardier species. It is intolerant of road salt. Sugar Maples are commonly planted as a street tree in cities within the Mountain West region of the United States, usually a different cultivar such as the “Legacy” sugar maple.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} The shade and the shallow, fibrous [[root]]s may interfere with grass growing under the trees. Deep, well-drained [[loam]] is the best rooting medium, although sugar maples can grow well on sandy soil which has a good buildup of [[humus]]. Light (or loose) clay soils are also well known to support sugar maple growth. Poorly drained areas are unsuitable, and the species is especially short-lived on flood-prone clay flats. Its salt tolerance is low and it is very sensitive to [[boron]].{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} The species is also subject to defoliation when there are dense populations of larvae of Lepidoptera species like the rosy maple moth (''[[Dryocampa rubicunda]]'').<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://enpp.auburn.edu/outreach/web-publications/greenstriped-mapleworm/|title=Auburn University Entomology and Plant Pathology {{!}} Greenstriped Mapleworm|website=Auburn University Entomology and Plant Pathology|language=en|access-date=2017-11-14}}</ref>

==== Cultivars ====
* 'Apollo' – columnar
* 'Arrowhead' – pyramidal crown
* 'Astis' ('Steeple') – heat-tolerant, good in southeastern United States, oval crown
* 'Bonfire' – fast growing
* 'Caddo' – naturally occurring southern ecotype or subspecies, from [[Southwestern Oklahoma]], great drought and heat tolerance, good choice for the Great Plains region<ref>{{cite book |title=Putting Down Roots: Landscape Guidelines for the Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Trees in Central Oklahoma |chapter-url=http://okplanttrees.okstate.edu/resources/educational/pdr/section3.html#caddo |via=okPLANTtrees |chapter=3.1.2: Medium Deciduous Trees — ''Acer saccharum'' 'Caddo' |quote=Fortunately for Oklahoma, a subspecies (believed to be an ecotype) of the Sugar Maple was discovered in the southwest part of the state that is specifically adapted to our hot summers and drying winds.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720093213/http://okplanttrees.okstate.edu/resources/educational/pdr/section3.html#caddo |archive-date=20 July 2012 |url-status=dead |url=http://okplanttrees.okstate.edu/resources/educational/pdr/tableofcontents.html}} {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102192913/http://okplanttrees.okstate.edu/resources/educational/pdr/tableofcontents.html |date=2012-11-02 |title=Putting Down Roots: Landscape Guidelines for the Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Trees in Central Oklahoma}}</ref>
* 'Columnare' ('Newton Sentry') – very narrow
* 'Fall Fiesta' – tough-leaved, colorful in season, above-average hardiness
* 'Goldspire' – columnar with yellow-orange fall color
* 'Green Mountain' (PNI 0285) – durable foliage resists heat and drought, oval crown, above-average hardiness
* 'Inferno' – possibly the hardiest cultivar, with more red fall color than 'Lord Selkirk' or 'Unity'
* 'Legacy' – tough, vigorous and popular
* 'Lord Selkirk' – very hardy, more upright than other northern cultivars
* 'Monumentale' – columnar
* 'September Flare' - very hardy, early orange-red fall color
* 'Sweet Shadow' – lacy foliage
* 'Temple's Upright' – almost as narrow as 'Columnare'
* 'Unity' – very hardy, from Manitoba, slow steady growth

=== Use by Native Americans ===
The [[Mohegan]] use the inner bark as a cough remedy, and the sap as a sweetening agent, and to make maple syrup following the introduction of metal cookware by Europeans.<ref>Tantaquidgeon, Gladys 1972 Folk Medicine of the Delaware and Related Algonkian Indians. Harrisburg. Pennsylvania Historical Commission Anthropological Papers No. 3 (p. 69, 128)</ref>

== Big trees ==
[[File:Sugar Maple-Acer saccharum-Comfort Maple Conservation Area-Town of Pelham-Ontario-OHAR5725-20221023 (1).jpg|thumb|[[Comfort Maple]] in [[Pelham, Ontario]]]]
The United States [[National register of big trees|national champion]] for ''Acer saccharum'' is located in [[Charlemont, Massachusetts]]. In 2007, the year it was submitted, it had a circumference of {{convert|5.92|m|in ftin}} at {{convert|1.3|m|ftin}} above the ground's surface, and thus a [[diameter at breast height]] of about {{convert|1.88|m|ftin}}. At that time the tree was {{convert|34.1|m|ftin}} tall with an average crown spread of {{convert|27.7|m|ftin}}. Using the scoring system of circumference in inches plus height in feet plus 25% of crown spread in feet resulted in a total number of 368 points at the National Register of Big Trees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanforests.org/big-trees/sugar-maple-acer-saccharum-5/|title=Sugar Maple (''Acer saccharum'') - Champion Tree, National Forests, Massachusetts|date=15 September 2016|website=americanforests.org|access-date=18 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131185725/http://www.americanforests.org/big-trees/sugar-maple-acer-saccharum-5/|archive-date=31 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> A tree in [[Lyme, Connecticut]], measured in 2012, had a circumference of {{convert|18.25|ft|ftin m|0|disp=out}}, or an average diameter at breast height of about {{convert|5.8|ft|ftin m}}. This tree had been {{convert|123|ft|m}} tall with a crown spread of {{convert|86|ft}}, counting for a total number of 364 points.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanforests.org/big-trees/sugar-maple-acer-saccharum-4/|title=Sugar Maple (''Acer saccharum'') - Champion Tree, National Forests, Connecticut|date=15 September 2016|website=americanforests.org|access-date=18 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131192249/http://www.americanforests.org/big-trees/sugar-maple-acer-saccharum-4/|archive-date=31 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
[[File:2001 VT Proof.png|thumb|left|upright=0.7|Leafless sugar maples in Vermont state quarter]]
The sugar maple is the state tree of the US states of New York, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

It is depicted on the [[state quarter]] of Vermont, issued in 2001.

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== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=35em}}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Horton | first1 = J. L. | last2 = Hart | first2 = S.C. | year = 1998 | title = Hydraulic lift: a potentially important ecosystem process | journal = Trends in Ecology and Evolution | volume = 13 | issue = 6| pages = 232–235 | doi = 10.1016/S0169-5347(98)01328-7 | pmid = 21238277 | bibcode = 1998TEcoE..13..232H }}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Canham | first1 = C. D. | year = 1989 | title = Different Responses to Gaps Among Shade-Tolerant Tree Species | journal = Ecology | volume = 70 | issue = 3| pages = 548–550 | doi = 10.2307/1940200 | jstor = 1940200 | bibcode = 1989Ecol...70..548C }}
* Brisson, J., Bergeron, Y., Bouchard, A., & Leduc, A. (1994). Beech-maple dynamics in an old-growth forest in southern Quebec, Canada. ''Ecoscience'' (Sainte-Foy) 1 (1): 40–46.
* {{cite journal | last1 = Duchesne | first1 = L. | last2 = Ouimet | first2 = R. | last3 = Houle | first3 = D. | year = 2002 | title = Basal Area Growth of Sugar Maple in Relation to Acid Deposition, Stand Health, and Soil Nutrients | journal = Journal of Environmental Quality | volume = 31 | issue = 5| pages = 1676–1683 | doi = 10.2134/jeq2002.1676 | pmid = 12371186 | bibcode = 2002JEnvQ..31.1676D }}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite journal|journal=Maple Syrup Journal|volume=4|issue=1|pages=10–11|title=Maple sap exudation: How it happens|author=Melvyn Tyree|url=http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmaple/maplesapexudation.pdf}}
* {{Cite journal|title=Toward an improved model of maple sap exudation: the location and role of osmotic barriers in sugar maple, butternut and white birch|author1=Damián Cirelli |author2=Richard Jagels |author3=Melvin T. Tyree |journal=Tree Physiology|volume=28|pages=1145–1155|publisher=Heron Publishing|location=Victoria, Canada|year=2008|issue=8|pmid=18519246|doi=10.1093/treephys/28.8.1145|doi-access=}}
* {{cite web|url=http://estore.osu-extension.org/North-American-Maple-Syrup-Producers-Manual-Second-Edition-Looseleaf-P110.aspx|title=North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual|work=Ohio State University Extension Bulletin 856|access-date=1 November 2015|archive-date=17 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017072938/http://estore.osu-extension.org/North-American-Maple-Syrup-Producers-Manual-Second-Edition-Looseleaf-P110.aspx|url-status=dead}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131008113919/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_003489.pdf Common Trees of Pennsylvania]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140521045953/http://woodyplants.nres.uiuc.edu/plant/acesugo UI Plants: Woody Ornamentals (sugar maple)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041211053617/http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/hcs/TMI/Plantlist/ac_harum.html ''Acer saccharum'' at Ohio State Horticulture & Crop Sciences]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131105135846/http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/frame/acsa3.htm ''Acer saccharum'' images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180705120546/http://www.portraitoftheearth.com/trees/sugarmaple.html Winter ID Pictures]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100706072257/http://cdi.uvm.edu/collections/browseCollection.xql?pid=maple&title=Maple%20Research%20Collection&fq=topic_facet:(%22Sugar%20maple%22)&start=0&rows=25 Historic Photos and Technical Reports Documenting Sugar Maple Research], from digital archives at the University of Vermont.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101222044405/http://www.plantmaps.com/nrm/acer-saccharum-sugar-maple-native-range-map.php Interactive Distribution Map for Acer saccharum]

{{Sugar}}
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[[Category:Maple|saccharum]]
[[Category:Hardwood forest plants]]
[[Category:Flora of the Appalachian Mountains]]
[[Category:Crops originating from North America]]
[[Category:Plants used in Native American cuisine]]
[[Category:Plants used in traditional Native American medicine]]
[[Category:Trees of humid continental climate]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1785]]
[[Category:Taxa named by André Michaux]]
[[Category:National symbols of Canada]]
[[Category:Symbols of Vermont]]
[[Category:Symbols of West Virginia]]
[[Category:Symbols of Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Garden plants of North America]]
[[Category:Ornamental trees]]
[[Category:Trees of Northern America]]
[[Category:Symbols of New York (state)]]