[*Acer campestre L.]
HEDGE-MAPLE.
New York: planted on Luna Island, Eckel, May
30, 1988 (BUF); Goat Island in the Niagara River, east end looking upriver; growing
amid ballast of dolomite boulders at water's edge; with Salix discolor. Escape.
P. M. Eckel & R. H. Zander s.n. May 13, 1998; Goat Island on the Niagara
River, wooded and shrubby north shore, thicket on river margin, with Lonicera
sp., Rhamnus cathartica east of spring. P. M. Eckel s.n. May 6, 2001.
Not
reported for the Niagara Frontier Region by Zander and Pierce (1979). Mitchell
(1986) reported it as a rare escape in New York State.
*Acer ginnala Maxim. AMUR
MAPLE. Planted, especially near Terrapin Point on Goat Island, 1988.
*Acer negundo L. ASH-LEAVED MAPLE, BOX ELDER, MANITOBA MAPLE. "Planted in
Prospect Park, where it is now appearing spontaneously," Day (1888).
Ontario, Queen Victoria Park (as Negundo aceroides), Panton
(1890). Ontario, Niagara Parks System (as Negundo aceroides),
Cameron (1895). Ontario: Queenston, Wm. Scott, May 18, 1898 (34); sight record
(Soper) #241, Queenston Heights, Heimburger (1955). "Abundant at the brink
of Niagara Falls, but already reported thence by Day as self-seeded from stock
planted in Prospect Park," Zenkert (1934). "... an introduced species
which has become almost too common in the Parks," Hamilton (1943). "[Niagara] Glen," sight record, Yaki
(1970). New York: Cayuga Island, Eckel (1991).
New York: ; Lewiston,
Wright, May 2, 1895 (BUF); several saplings on margin of central woods, Goat
Island, Eckel & Eckel Oct. 15, 1983 (BUF); wooded slope facing Goat Island,
on the mainland just E of first bridge to Goat Island. Amid Quercus, Acer spp.,
Sorbus aucuparia. P.M. Eckel 8705290 May 10, 1987 (BUF);on ballast, disturbed
margin of the Niagara River above Goat Island, Eckel 4101985 (BUF); disturbed
rimrock by Lower Arch Bridge, Eckel 4253185 (BUF); Lewiston ArtPark woods: back
of elevated knoll close to the Niagara River, dense, rich woods: low area,
moist, facing the rd. to the N. P. M. Eckel c. Marguerite Eckel 870646 May 5,
l986 (BUF). Ontario: Dufferin Islands, Eckel 3653085 (BUF); wooded slopes, base
of gorge by the Whirlpool, Eckel 8705214 (BUF).
This species does not appear
to be native to the vicinity of Niagara Falls, as it occurs primarily in
secondary or replacement woodlands, such as along the Great Gorge Route train
bed, American side, in areas of natural disturbance or sterility, as on shale
slides. It does not occur in primary woodlands along the Niagara River. Zander
and Pierce (1979), however, list this
species as native to the Niagara Frontier Region. It is endemic and more common
to the west of us: "it is native in Rainy River-Thunder Bay districts
[northwestern Ontario] according to Hosie (1978, Native Trees of Canada);
considered native in western Essex County by Botham (l981, Plants of Essex
County" - Emilie Hamilton, Plant Press 3: 115, l985. Image
2.
Acer nigrum
Michx. f. BLACK MAPLE. Ontario: Foster's Flats, Wm. Scott, July 20, 1901 (103);
Queenston Heights, J. Macoun, May 8, 1901; Niagara Falls, J. Macoun, May 16,
1901 (CAN), Heimburger (1955). ). "[Niagara] Glen," sight record, Yaki (1970).
New York: Goat
Island on the Niagara River. Central woodland. Several individuals, some quite
mature, in mixed Acer saccharum, Fraxinus americana dominated woods.
P. M. Eckel 8704061 June 4, 1986 (BUF); City Niagara
Falls Basal woods, Ongiara Gorge of the Niagara River, half way between
Whirlpool steps and Devil's Hole.
P. M. Eckel & R. H. Zander 880241 Sept. 11, 1987
(BUF); wet base of ravine, Devil's Hole, Eckel, Aug. 19, 1987 (BUF). N.Y.: Goat Island, quite
mature, Eckel 8704061 (BUF); base of gorge halfway between Devil's Hole and the
Whirlpool, Eckel & Zander, Sept. 11, 1987 (BUF); wet base of ravine,
Devil's Hole, common, Eckel, Aug. 19, 1987 (BUF). Canada: Niagara Glen. Base of
the Niagara River Gorge below the Wintergreen Flats. Protected cove forest. P.
M. Eckel 89111420 June 3, 1988 (BUF).
There is a strong component
of this species in the gorge forest, especially at the base, but also at
Buckhorn Island on the north tip of Grand Island. It is most conspicuous by the
felted undersurface of the leaves (peach fuzz).
*Acer platanoides L. NORWAY MAPLE. "Introduced. A common shade
tree in the village," Day (1888). ).
"Dufferin Islands," sight record, Yaki (1970). Crest of the Niagara River gorge between Devil's Hole
and Whirlpool Steps, with Quercus rubra, Qu. alba, Tilia Americana, Carya
glabra, C. ovalis, Eckel (Nov. 7 2004), several mature trees along crest..
New York: Whirlpool steps
just N of Whirlpool State Pk overlooking the whirlpool of the Niagara River.
Large tree half way down slope, amid dense Lonicera tartarica. Sap milky.
P.M.Eckel c. Tim Johnson 8705234 May 6, l987 (BUF); base of gorge, just S of
Devil's Hole, Eckel 870632 (BUF); Goat Island, young, SW shore, Eckel, Sept. 1,
1987 (BUF); Scovel;s Knoll, Eckel, June 16, 1988 (BUF); Gorge of the Niagara
River, S of Devil's Hole, frequently
encountered as a replacement tree all along the old railroad bed. P. M. Eckel
870632 May 5, l986. Ontario, Dufferin
Islands along the Niagara River Parkway on the Niagara River. Calcareous soils.
P. M. Eckel 1453085 May 25, 1985 (BUF).
This tree, the only Maple
here with a milky sap, dominates the maple element of the trees at Dufferin
Islands and in one section in the Gorge, generally midslope between the Lower
Arch Bridge and the Maid of the Mist,landing, Ontario, it is the dominant tree
of the forest. It is frequently encountered in the secondary forest sprung up
on the bed of the old gorge train route at the base of the gorge, American
side. The source of these trees must derive mostly from plantings in the
adjacent cities above and also to some extent from the old practise of dumping
street sweeping down into the gorge, a practice used on both sides of the
river. Acer saccharum is the dominant tree of our regional forests in this area,
whatever conditions favor this tree also must favor other species in the genus,
A. platanoides and A. negundo. Image 2.
*Acer pseudo-platanus L. SYCAMORE MAPLE. New York: mainland, wooded
slope facing N shore of Goat Island, with native and introduced species, Eckel
8705291 (BUF). Ontario: Base of the Niagara River gorge, several escapes,
young, noticed throughout the lower woods by the river's edge going S toward
the Falls. P. M. Eckel & R. H. Zander 880143 Aug. 22, (BUF);
Niagara-on-the-Lake Paradise Grove natural regeneration area,just S of village,
Fort George S boundary: open Acer rubrum grass field, Quercus alba moist old
woods; field NE; mature; planted? P. M. Eckel s.n. Oct. 6, 1997 (BUF).
This species is not listed
in the checklist of species occurring in the Niagara Frontier Region (Zander
and Pierce, l979) since it was not considered to be persistent in uncultivated
stations - it has been found to occur infrequently throughout the gorge
forests. On the Canadian side, especially near the road down to the power
station at the falls, it appears naturalized, and should be included. In
Ontario, Morton and Venn (1990) report this tree as "planted but not self
sown," and in New York, Mitchell (1986) reports it as an escape.
Acer rubrum
L. SWAMP or RED MAPLE. "Goat Island. A shade tree in the village,"
Day (1888). Ontario, Queen Victoria Park, Panton (1890). Ontario, Niagara Parks
System, Cameron (1895). "Goat Island," Day (1901). Ontario: "...
preferring moist open woods in the Parks," Hamilton (1943). "Dufferin
Islands," sight record, Yaki (1970).
New York: mainland, wooded
slope facing N shore of Goat Island, Eckel 8705292 (BUF); Deveaux Woods on road
margin, Eckel 3753185 (BUF); Second of the Three Sisters Islands, Eckel, July
7, 1987 (BUF). Ontario: Queenston, Day, June 5, 1863 (BUF); ); Nature Trail woodland above the Whirlpool
Ravine woods. Rich wet woodland, margins in lawn. Acer
saccharum, Tilia americana. P. M. Eckel 8604066 June 10, 1986 (BUF); Dufferin Islands, planted
in swimming area, Eckel, June 1, 1988 (BUF). Ontario: Navy Island, Eckel, May 13, 1998 (BUF).
Acer rubrum X saccharinum = A. X freemanii Murr. SOFT MAPLE.
Erie County: Along Niagara River, low ground inundated"during
spring."Charles A. Zenkert Sept. 20, l927 (BUF).
Acer saccharinum
Wang. SILVER MAPLE. (As A. dasycarpum) "near Clifton,
Ontario," Day (1888) [see note sub next species]. Ontario, Queen Victoria
Park, (and as Acer dasycarpum), Panton (1890). Ontario, Niagara
Park System, Cameron (1895). Goat Island (as A. dasycarpum), Day
(1901). Ontario: sight record (Soper) #243, Dufferin Islands; Queenston, Wm.
Scott, May 28, 1898 (TRT 86); Niagara Falls, J. Macoun, May 15, 1901 (CAN),
Heimburger (1955). "... commonly encountered along the River,"
Hamilton (1943). ).
"Dufferin Islands," sight record, Yaki (1970). Crest of the Niagara River gorge between Devil's Hole
and Whirlpool Steps, with Quercus rubra, Qu. alba, Tilia Americana, Carya
glabra, C. ovalis, Eckel (Nov. 7 2004), infrequent.
New York:
Cayuga Island, "riverside," Eckel (1991); edge
of the Niagara River ca. 2 miles upstream from Goat Island. With Ulmus rubra,
Viburnum sp., Cornus sp.,Fraxinus,
Eckel 291985 (BUF); Crest of Whirlpool Park, soil in dolomite
caprock, gravelly, beyond the fence overlooking the drop. With Rhus aromatica,
Rhus typhina, Crataegus sp., Prunus mahaleb.P.M.Eckel 8606037 June 17, 1986(BUF); Goat Island, Eckel, June 15, 1987; Goat
Island on the Niagara River, near police station, NW end by west parking
lot.P.M. Eckel 880643 May 20, 1988
(BUF); Bath Island in the Niagara River, just N of Goat Island. SE
thickets beside the pedestrian bridge, river's edge.P. M. Eckel 880736 May 26,
1988 (BUF). Ontario:
Dufferin Islands, Eckel 2253085 (BUF); rocky shore, base of gorge, north of the
Lower Arch Bridge, Eckel 871214 (BUF); Niagara-on-the-Lake Paradise Grove natural
regeneration area,just S of village, Fort George S boundary: open Acer rubrum
grass field, Quercus alba moist old woods; Acer woodland c. A. pseudoplatanus,
P. M. Eckel s.n. Oct. 6, 1997 (BUF).
This species is
frequent on the River margins, base of Gorge, Canadian side and occasional on
the American side.
Acer saccharum Marsh. SUGAR MAPLE. In 1828
the Scottish botanist David Douglas noted in his diary that on Goat Island this
species (as A. saccharinum) "on the brink of the rocks grew
very large; they had all been tapped or bled and still seemed uncommonly vigorous." Goat Island, Sept. 19, 1877 (J. D.
Hooker's American Journal). (As Acer saccarinum) "Goat
Island. One of the most abundant trees," Day, 1888. (As Acer saccarinum)
"... perhaps the most abundant tree upon the island," Day, 1901.
Ontario: Queenston, Wm. Scott, June 3, 1899 (94); Queenston Heights, J. Macoun,
May 8, 1901, Gray [Herbarium?]; sight record (Soper) #328, [Lewiston-]
Queenston Bridge; #241, Queenston Heights; #244, Niagara Glen, Heimburger
(1955). "... abundant in the wooded areas," Hamilton (1943). ). "[Niagara]
Glen," sight record, Yaki (1970). DeVeaux College woods, "abundant,"
Eckel (1986). Crest of the Niagara River gorge between Devil's Hole and
Whirlpool Steps, with Quercus rubra, Qu. alba, Tilia Americana, Carya glabra,
C. ovalis, Eckel (Nov. 7 2004), infrequent along crest.
New York: Deveaux woods, mature, upstream
section, saplings abundant, subdominant in Oak-Hickory dominant woods, Eckel
& Zander 270685 (BUF); DeVeaux College Woods behind Whirlpool
Park. Calcareous soils. Mature Quercus, Fagus, Acer & Fraxinus woodland.
Frequent in DeVeaux Woods.P. M. Eckel 3553185 May 24, 1985 (BUF); lower woods, in Gorge along old train bed, , on
the slopes, with Acer negundo, Acer platanoides, Tilia americana, Tsuga
canadensis scattered Eckel
8703280 (BUF); first of the Three Sisters Islands, East
end, large tree by stone bridge, 60 and 44 inch circ. trunks from a common
base. Eckel 8705300 (BUF);
Devil's Hole, Eckel, Aug. 19, 1987
(BUF); In woods below the old Schoelkopf plant and above the sewage
treatment plant, lower woods: Betula, Acer, Quercus. Boulder field.P. M. Eckel
8704039 May 24, l986 (BUF). Ontario: Dufferin Islands, Eckel 2153085
(BUF); natural regeneration area N of Queenston, river's edge, Eckel 8705232
(BUF).
This is the official tree of New York State
(Mitchell, 1986). A tree of rich woods in our region, it enjoys calcareous
soils. Both this species and the Norway Maple grow side by side at the base of
the gorge and they may be difficult to separate, especially if attempts are
made to reduce or eliminate Norway Maple from the Niagara woodlands as part of
a restoration scheme. Norway Maple has five major veins extending out to the
lobe apices on the leaf, and two minor lobes at the leaf base. Sugar Maple has
only three major veins extending to the lobe tips, and two minor veins at the
leaf base. The formula is 5:2 veins for Norway Maple, and 3:2 for Sugar (and
Black Maple, whose lobes may become reduced to three). Sap is also a great
help, when the sap is running during the growing season: it is milky in Norway
Maple, and clear in Sugar Maple. After snapping off a leaf and looking at the
point of attachment at the petiole base, after 30 to 60 seconds, small white
dots will occur with Norway Maple, but nothing will be apparent in the Sugar
Maple leaf. Image 2.
Acer spicatum
Lam. MOUNTAIN MAPLE. "Goat Island, near the Horseshoe Falls," Day
(1888). Ontario, Queen Victoria Park, Panton (1890). Ontario, Niagara Park
System, Cameron (1895). "Goat Island," Day (1901). Ontario: Foster's
Flats, Wm. Scott, May 24, 1898 (113); Niagara Glen, T. J. Ivey, Aug. 8, 1908
(TRT 120), Heimburger (1955). "Goat Island and gorge of Niagara River at
Devil's Hole. Ontario: gorge of River at Niagara Glen," Zenkert (1934).
"... thrives in the Niagara Glen," Hamilton (1943). "[Niagara] Glen," sight record, Yaki (1970).
New York:
halfway down Whirlpool (DeVeaux) Steps, gorge N of the Whirlpool, Eckel, Sept.
11, 1987 (BUF); Whirlpool State Park, crest of the Niagara River, talus slopes
above river edge, characteristic of talus, with Sambucus pubens, Thuja
occidentalis.P. M. Eckel s.n. May 7, 2000 (BUF). Ontario: S end Niagara Glen, half up slope, Zander &
Eckel, Aug. 30, 1987 (BUF).
