Acer saccharum
| Acer saccharum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 98' |
| Width: | 39' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
Acer saccharum (common name: sugar maple)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the following spring. A lot of the seed is non-viable, it is best to cut a few open to see if there is an embryo[1]. An average of 95% germination can be achieved from viable seed[2]. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and then stratify for 2 - 4 months at 1 - 8°c. It can be slow to germinate, sometimes taking two years[3]. The seed can be harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it has dried and produced any germination inhibitors) and sown immediately. It should germinate in late winter. If the seed is harvested too soon it will produce very weak plants or no plants at all[4][1]. 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 but succeeds on most soils[5][2], though it is more likely to become chlorotic as a result of iron deficiency on alkaline soils. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Trees need full light and a lot of space[2]. This species is one of the most shade tolerant of the N. American maples[6]. It tolerates atmospheric pollution[7] and so is often used as a street tree, though it can suffer from soil compaction and the use of salt on the roads in frosty weather. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.5 to 7.3.
Hardy to about -45°c when fully dormant[8].
A fast-growing tree for its first 40 years in the wild[9], this species is not a great success in Britain[10], though it does better than once thought[5]. It grows well in Cornwall[11]. In cultivation it has proved to be slow growing when young[5]. Trees can live for 250 years in the wild[9].
A very ornamental tree[10] but a bad companion plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants[12][13].
This species is commercially exploited in America for its sap[10][5]. Along with its sub-species it is the major source of maple syrup[5]. There are some named varieties[14]. The sap can be tapped within 10 - 15 years from seed but it does not flow so well in areas with mild winters[8].
Range: Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Georgia, west to Texas and Minnesota.
Habitat: Found in a variety of soil types, doing best in deep rich well-drained soils from sea level to 1600 metres[9]. Rich usually hilly woods[15].
Edibility: The sap contains quite a large proportion of sugar. This can be used as a refreshing drink, or be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water[10][16][5][17][18]. The syrup is used as a sweetener on many foods. The sap can be harvested in late winter or early spring[[19], the flow is best on a warm sunny day after a frost[20]. Trees on southern slopes in sandy soils give the best yields. It is best to make a hole about 7cm deep and about 1.3 metres above the ground[21]. Yields of 40 - 100 litres per tree can be obtained[19]. The best sap production comes from cold-winter areas with continental climates. The sap contains 2 - 6% sugar, thus about 32 litres are required to make a litre of maple syrup[9].
Self-sown seedlings, gathered in early spring, are eaten fresh or dried for later use[20].
Seeds - cooked. The wings are removed and the seeds boiled then eaten hot[22][23][24][20]. The seed is about 6mm long and is produced in small clusters[25].
Inner bark - cooked. It is dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread[23][26].
Medicinal: A tea made from the inner bark is a blood tonic, diuretic and expectorant[27]. It has been used in the treatment of coughs, diarrhoea etc[27]. A compound infusion of the bark has been used as drops in treating blindness[28].
The sap has been used for treating sore eyes[28].
The inner bark has been used as an expectorant and cough remedy[28].
Maple syrup is used in cough syrups and is also said to be a liver tonic and kidney cleanser[27].
Usage: The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them[12][13].
Wood - close grained, tough, hard, heavy, strong, not very durable, it takes a high polish, remains smooth under abrasion and has a high shock-resistance[29][30][25][21][31]. It holds nails well, is fair in gluing, dries easily and shrinks moderately[31]. The wood weighs 43lb per cubic foot[32]. Considered by many to be the most valuable hardwood tree in N. America, the sugar maple is used for a wide range of applications including furniture, flooring, turnery, musical instruments and ship building[29][30][25][21][31]. Accidental forms with the grain curled and contorted, known as curly maple and bird's eye maple, are common and are highly prized in cabinet making[25]. The wood is also a very good fuel, giving off a lot of heat and forming very hot embers[25][6]. The ashes of the wood are rich in alkali and yield large quantities of potash.[25]
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Pollution: Tolerates environmental pollution.
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall-Early Winter
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Also Known As: A. saccharinum. (Non L.)
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Gordon, A and D Rowe. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. 1982.
- ↑ Royal Horticultural Society. The Plantsman Vol. 5. 1983 - 1984. Royal Horticultural Society, 1983.
- ↑ McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lauriault, Jean. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1989.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Natural Food Institute. Wonder Crops 1987.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thurston, Edgar. Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall. Cambridge University Press, 1930.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Nicholson, Barbara and Stephen Harrison. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press, 1975.
- ↑ Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Brouk, Bohuslav. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press, 1975.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ McPherson, Alan and Sue McPherson. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press, 1977.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Vines, Robert. Trees of North Texas. University of Texas Press, 1982.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.