Acer nigrum
Species of flowering plant
Acer nigrum, the black maple, is a species of maple closely related to A. saccharum (sugar maple), and treated by some authors as a subspecies of it, as Acer saccharum subsp. nigrum.
Identification can be confusing due to the tendency of the two species to form hybrids. The simplest and most accurate method for distinguishing between the two trees is the generally three-lobed leaves of the black maple versus the generally five-lobed leaves of the sugar maple. The leaves of the black maple also tend to have a drooping appearance. Other differences that are not as pronounced include darker, more deeply grooved bark, slightly smaller seeds, a downy underside, and thicker petioles. Hybrids are intermediate in their characteristics.
01Distribution
The geographic range of A. nigrum is slightly more limited than the sugar maple, encompassing much of the Midwestern United States, portions of the Eastern United States, and the southeast of Canada in southern Ontario.
02Description
The black maple's mature height ranges from 21 to 34 meters (69 to 112 ft).
03Uses
This species is used similarly to the A. saccharum, for timber as hard maple, for landscaping, and for maple syrup production.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Acer nigrum”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Acer nigrum - University of Kentucky Arboretum - DSC09326.JPG by Daderot, CC0
- Acer nigrum drawing.png by Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 2: 496., Public domain
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