Pensacola News Journal

For: Saturday, Feb. 21, 2004

By: Daniel E. Mullins

Extension Horticulture Agent

Santa Rosa County

All Maples are Not the Same

Every year about this time new Gulf Coast residents ask the name of the native tree with the red flowers. It is found growing in natural drainage areas, lowlands and in some landscapes. It is of course, the red maple. This species is distinctive because it begins flowering during mid to late February every year and also produces colorful seed on bare branches well before new leaves emerge.

Local selections and cultivars of the red maple, Acer rubrum, are useful in many residential landscapes. In addition to late winter flower and seed color, it has attractive summer foliage that changes to red and orange in the fall.

The maximum size of a mature red maple in this region is about fifty feet tall and thirty five feet wide. This provides a choice of at least one kind of medium sized landscape tree to compliment the many adapted small and large growing tree species.

All red maples are not the same. When purchasing this species, select only those that have been produced from parent trees growing naturally in your area. Even though they might appear identical, there is a difference between a Gulf Coast native red maple and one from another region of the country.

There are now several cultivars of red maple being offered. “Red Sunset” and “October Glory” are said to be two of the best cultivars for the South. Since this information was first published others have become available and I expect that even more selections from the original north Florida red maple will be offered in the future. One local tree nursery has recently introduced a new selection known as “Gulf Ember.”

Use care when shopping for trees. Silver maple is sometimes unfortunately planted instead of red maple. Though a fast grower, it generally does not produce a long lived tree. After ten to fifteen years, most silver maples begin to experience branch and trunk rot and develop weak branches. In fact, silver maple is known as soft maple which is descriptive of its weak wood, while red maple is a hard maple.

Choosing the best adapted red maple is very important, but so is choosing a healthy plant. Look for one with a straight trunk, well spaced branches and a single central leader. There is a tendency for red maples to develop double leaders, allowing two strong competing vertical branches which results in a weak tree.

The more progressive nurseries do all that they can to prevent trees from developing this condition known in the trade as co-dominant leaders. This is done by selecting trees with less genetic tendency to do this and by selective pruning during the production of the trees.

Though the red maple is best adapted to the Gulf Coast region, there are others maples that might be considered by those gardeners who would like to try something different. The Florida sugar maple, “Acer barbatum,” is a native and could add interest to local landscapes. It has the typical sugar maple shaped leaf and colors up to some degree in the fall.

The Florida sugar maple is not common in southern landscapes. This might be due to the fact that brown leaves hang on the tree during the winter. Though they are replaced each spring, these dead leaves are unattractive to some people.

Don’t confuse the Florida sugar maple with the standard sugar maple. It survives here, while the northern species would soon succumb to our heat and humidity.

There are a couple of other maple species for the really adventurous gardener who would like to try something different. According to some literature both the Trident Maple and the Chalk Maple are both worth consideration. The Extension office in Okaloosa County has a Trident Maple that has been established in the landscape for three years, and it is doing fine.