Scientific Name: Acer rubrum
The red maple is native to London. In the spring you will see brilliant red blossoms. While the green/red silver maple buds blossom out earlier, close on their heels will be red maple blossoms.
Red maple is a small to medium-sized tree, identifiable by its young branches, which are hairless, shiny and red. It is widely used as a landscape tree and provides browse food for wildlife.
The leaves are yellow-green and allow cool, filtered light down to the understorey in summer (welcome respite from the hot sun!). In fall, these leaves put on an incredible display of red. People often mistake “Crimson King Maple”(a type of Norway maple – Acer platanoides – that has thick, deep red leaves throughout the growing season) for true red maple, though the species are markedly different.
Want to plant one?
Partial sun and wet soil are the best conditions for red maple. However, the species seems to thrive in a wider variety of soil, moisture, sun and temperature conditions than any other forest species in North America.
Red maple is one of many species often available at our tree depots.