Acer rubrum
| Acer rubrum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Height: | 98' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Early Spring-Mid Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
Acer rubrum (common name: red maple)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the spring in a cold frame. It usually germinates immediately and by the end of summer has formed a small tree with several pairs of leaves[1]. Stored seed quickly loses its viability. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and then stratify for 2 - 4 months at 1 - 8°c. It can be slow to germinate. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until they are 20cm or more tall before planting them out in their permanent positions.
Layering, which takes about 12 months, is successful with most species in this genus.
Cuttings of young shoots in June or July. The cuttings should have 2 - 3 pairs of leaves, plus one pair of buds at the base. Remove a very thin slice of bark at the base of the cutting, rooting is improved if a rooting hormone is used. The rooted cuttings must show new growth during the summer before being potted up otherwise they are unlikely to survive the winter.
Cultivation: Of easy cultivation, it prefers a good moist well-drained soil[2][3], though this species succeeds in wetter soils than most other members of the genus. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Dislikes chalk according to one report[3], whilst others say that it does less well on chalk[4], often becoming chlorotic as a result of iron deficiency. Prefers a sunny position but tolerates some shade. Tolerates atmospheric pollution[4].
A fast-growing tree for the first 20 - 30years of its life, it may live for 75 - 100 years[5].
Red maple is a bad companion plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants[6][7].
A variable species with several sub-species[8], there are also many named varieties that have been selected for their ornamental value[4].
This species is often confused with A. saccharinum[2].
Range: Eastern N. America - Quebec to Florida, west to Texas, Minnesota and Ontario.
Habitat: Usually found in swamps and uplands, it also occasionally grows on dry rocky hillsides and sand dunes[9][1].
Edibility: The sap contains sugar and this can be used as a drink or be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water[10][2][11][12]. The syrup is used as a sweetener on many foods. This species only yields about half the quantity obtained from the sugar maple (A. saccharum)[13]. It makes a good maple syrup although the yield is comparatively small[14]. It can be harvested in late winter, the flow is best on warm sunny days following a frost. The best sap production comes from cold-winter areas with continental climates.
Inner bark - cooked[15][16]. It is dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread[17].
Self-sown seedlings, gathered in early spring, are eaten fresh or dried for later use[18].
Seeds - cooked. The wings are removed and the seeds boiled then eaten hot[18]. The seed is very small, about 5mm long, and is produced in small clusters[K].
Medicinal: The bark has astringent properties and has been used as an application for sore eyes[13]. The inner bark was used according to one report[19].
An infusion of the bark has been used to treat cramps and dysentery[19].
Usage: The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them[6][7].
The boiled inner bark yields a purple colour[13][20][1]. Mixed with lead sulphate this produces a black dye which can also be used as an ink[13]. The dye is dark blue according to another report[21].
The wood is used to make basket splints[19].
This species can successfully establish itself in recently cleared areas and partially open woodlands[5]. It can therefore be used as a pioneer species to speed the regeneration of woodland[K].
Wood - not strong, close grained, hard, very heavy[22][1][8]. It weighs 38lb per cubic foot[8]. The grain of some old specimens is undulated, this gives beautiful effects of light and shade on polished surfaces[13]. The wood is commonly used for making furniture, turnery, pulp, etc[22][1][8].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Pollution: Tolerates environmental pollution.
Seed Ripens: Late Spring-Early Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gordon, A and D Rowe. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. 1982.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Vines, Robert. Trees of North Texas. University of Texas Press, 1982.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ McPherson, Alan and Sue McPherson. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press, 1977.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.