File:Bulletin (Pennsylvania Department of Forestry), no. 11 (1901) (19880290164).jpg

Title: Bulletin (Pennsylvania Department of Forestry), no. 11
Identifier: bulletinpennsylv11pennx (find matches)
Year: 1901 (1900s)
Authors: Pennsylvania. Dept. of Forestry
Subjects: Forests and forestry
Publisher: Harrisburg, Pa. : The Department : WM. Stanley Ray, state printer of Pennsylvania
Contributing Library: Penn State University
Digitizing Sponsor: Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation

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200 SUGAR MAPLE Acer saccharum, Marshall FORM—^A large timber tree attaining a maximum height of 120 ft. with a diameter of 5 feet. Ope-n grown trees have short trunlcs bearing stout, ratber erect branches which form a spread- ing, egg-shaped, often round-topp.-Kl crown. Trees in closed stands have long, straiglit, clean trunks bearing shallow, round-tTOAvus with large limbs. BARK—On branches and young trunks smooth and light brown; on older trunks brown, deeply channelled into long irregular plates or flakes which often loosen vertically along the side. See Fig. 83. TWIGS—Slender, smooth, reddish-brown to orange-brown, covered with numerous pale lenti- cels. BUDS—Opposite, brown, sharp-pointed, conical, hairy at apex; terminal bud about twice as long as appressed lateral ones; covered by overlapping scales, with from 8-16 of them exposed. LEAVES—Opiwsite, simple, usually 5-lobed, with a sparsely toothed margin and roimd-based sinuses, cordate at base, thin in texture, 3-6 inches long and greater in width. Mature leaves are bright green above and pale green below. LEAF-SCARS—Opposite, V-shaped to U-shaped nearly encircling stem. Bundle-scars usually 3, in a lunate line. FLOWERS—Appear in April and May with the leaves, in drooping corymbs both from the terminal mixed buds and the lateral propagatlve buds. The starolnate and pistillate occur In dlflferent clusters. FRUIT^Mhtures al)out September; clustered, borne on drooping stalks; wings of the keys about J-1 inch long, parallel or slightly divergent. VTOOD—Diffuse-porous; heavy, hard, close-grained, with fine surface, light brown to reddish. Used for interior finish, furniture, shoe lasts, railroad ties. Abnormal modifications of the structure of the wood known as Curly Maple and Bird's Eye Maple are rather common and especially prized In cabinet making. AVeighs 43 lbs per cubic foot. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS—The Sugar Maple, also known as Hard Maple and Rock Maple, can be distinguished in summer from the other Maples by its large, simple leaves which are thin in texture and have their lobes coarsely toothed. The flowers appear with the leaves while those of the Red Maple and the S-ilver Maple appear before, and those of the Mountain Maple and the Striped Maple after the leaves. The fruit clusters of the Sugar Mbple are usually developed from terminal buds while those of the Red Maple and Silver Maple are developed from lateral buds. The fruit of the Sugar Maple does not mature until September and may often persist into the winter while the fniits of the Red Maple and Silver Maple mature in early sununer and germinate at once after falling upon the ground. In winter the Sugar Maple can be recognized by its conical, sharp-pointed, brown buds with from 8-16 exiwsed and overlapping scales, and by the slender browni twigs marked with pale lenticels. The rough furrowed trunk is also characteristic of older trees. The Black Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum var. nigrum) occurs locally. It is commonest in the mountains and western part of the Sttite. The lower surface of the leaves is usually green, sometlmies downy. The lobes of the leaves are entire or undulate; while those of the Sugar Maple are coarsely dentate. It is conunon in Greene county. RANGE—Newfoundland to Manitoba, south to Florida and Texas. DISTRIBUTION IN PENNSYLVANIA—Common, especially in the northern, western, and east- em parts of the State. It Is possibly, next to Chestnut, the commonest tree in this State. HABITAT—It flourishes best on well-drained rich soil, but will thrive even when the soil is not rich. It is common on low ridges at the base of the mountains, and along slopes. It reaches its best development in central New England, New York, northern Pennsylvania, and the Lake Stateg. IMPORTANCE OF THE SPECIES—The Sugar Maple Is a valuable timber tree. Its im- portance is being realized more as the wood finds new uses. The process of timber impregna- tion has raised the value of the wood of this species. It is not only valuable as a timber tree but produces annually a large quantity of maple sugar and maple syrup, and in addition is one of our most attractive ornamental trees.
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PLATE CVL SUGAR MAPLE 1. liraiicli witli iinmntiiri' Icavi's and stniiiiiiatc lilossonis X h. '2. Slamiimte fi. Lonnitudiiial section of staininatc llowcr. en laiucii. 4. Hiaiicli \vitli imnialurc Icavts hihI jiistillati' lil(i>;soins X f,. '>. riblillale flowers witli <h1vx, fiiiarijiMl. l/myitii(liiial scctinii of tluwcr with hntli a pistil ami staim-ns cnlaiutd. niaiich with iiiatiirc leavis and cluster nf fruit. X *. .\ maple key with exposed seeds, x \. Winter twin showing' lenlieels. leaf scars, Inul-seale sears, and sharp indnled op- posite liiids, X i.

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