Named for its generally bright red fall foliage, the red maple is a hardy and adaptable shade tree! Young plants tolerate bright shade, male plants have more obvious red flowers, and female plants produce the classic maple ‘helicopters’!

Pollination: Self pollinating.

Light: Full Sun, Part Sun/Shade, Shade

Soil Moisture: Wet, Wet Mesic, Mesic, Dry Mesic

Soil Type: Adaptable 

Height: 40’-70’

Width: 30’-50’

Bloom Color: Red

Bloom Time: Mar-Apr

Fruit: Small nuts in winged ‘helicopters’ mature late spring-early summer.

Fall Color: Yellow, Orange, Red

Root Type: Taproot

Notable Wildlife Interactions: Hosts moths such as the rosy maple and maple zale, many leafhoppers, beetles, and other small insects. Seeds are eaten by animals such as turkey, bobwhite, nuthatches, and squirrels. Commonly browsed by deer and rabbits. Large old trees provide valuable habitat for cavity nesting birds, mammals, and bats.

Notes: Root system is dense and robust- enough to buckle pavement and make it difficult for many plants to grow near the trunk.