General Culture:

Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Best in moist soils in full sun. Seems to have slightly better tolerance for heat and drought than sugar maple.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Black maple is very similar in appearance to sugar maple. It is a large, deciduous tree with ascending branching, typically growing 60-75’ (less frequently to 100’) tall with a dense rounded crown. Like sugar maple, black maple is indigenous to the northeast and upper midwest and southern Canada. It is native to Missouri where it typically occurs in rich woods, ravines, valleys, slopes and along streams, mostly in the northern and central parts of the state (Steyermark). In comparison to sugar maple, black maple generally has (a) darker bark, (b) darker leaves that are mostly 3-lobed, droopy at the edges, and hairy underneath, and (c) leafy stipules at the bases of many of the leaf petioles. Dark green leaves (to 6” wide) turn beautiful shades of yellow, orange and red in fall. Pale yellowish green flowers appear in clusters in spring. Flowers give way to clusters of paired samaras (to 1” long) that mature in late summer. Tree sap may be tapped for syrup that is equal in quality to than obtained from sugar maple. Some authorities believe black maple should have separate species status and list it as Acer nigrum.