Sugar Maple Tree

Descriptive text

Maple sugar tree, acer saccharum, is known as the national tree of Canada. The shape of maple leaf can be found in its flag. Sugar maple tree is large. It can grow up to 35 meters tall. It has 2 or more feet in diameter. The young bark is smooth. It is light gray in colour. As it gets older, it becomes dark brown. Older tree bark is also ridged and sometimes scaly.

 

The leaves of sugar maple tree are unique. It has 3 to 5 lobes, but they usually have 5 lobes. The leaves are 8 to 20 centimeters long. They grow in the opposite arrangement of the twig. In the fall, the leaves turn yellow, brilliant orange, crimson, or red. 

The sugar maple tree has smooth, slender twig. Its color is gray or shiny reddish brown. The tree blossoms flowers. The flowers are yellow in colour with long stalk. The flower is 1 to 1.5 inches long. They can be green, yellow, orange or red in color. It has male and female flowers on the same tree.

Sugar maple tree also produces seed. It is called samara. It is a pair of winged seed which is 30 – 35 millimeters long. The seed ripens in the fall. It moves like a helicopter when it falls from the tree. 

Sugar maple tree produces the best maple syrup. It is produced by boiling of tree sap. The tree has to reach 30 years to be suitable for sap extraction. It takes 40 – 50 gallons of sap for the production of one gallons of syrup. Maple syrup is rich in sugar. It contains vitamins and minerals. It is used as a substitute for sugar, as dressing for pancakes, or other desserts.

 

Sugar maple trees can be found throughout southern Canada and eastern United States. This tree can live for 200 years. Under appropriate climate condition, it can survive more than 300 years.