Common Name: Sugar Maple

Scientific Name: Acer saccharum

Family: Sapindaceae

Type: Deciduous

Habitat: Woodlands

Native: Yes

Height: Up to 120 feet

Light: Full sun to partial shade

Soil: Moist, Well drained

Description: The Sugar Maple is a native deciduous tree that is known for its sap, which is used to make maple syrup. The Sugar Maple, which can grow up to 120 feet tall, can be identified by its five-lobed, maple-shaped leaves which are green in the spring and summer, and turn yellow, orange, or red in the fall. The Sugar Maple prefers to grow in woodlands, where there is moist, well drained soil and full sun to partial shade. To make maple syrup, sap from the Sugar Maple is collected in late winter and boiled. One Sugar Maple tree can produce between 5-60 liters of sap each year! This photo of the Sugar Maple was taken in front of the Mahan Manor at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve.