Acer rubrum
| Acer rubrum | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida - Dicots |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Aceraceae |
| Genus: | Acer |
| Species: | A. rubrum |
| Binomial name | |
| Acer rubrum L. | |
| |
| Natural range of Acer rubrum from USDA NRCS Plants Database. | |
Common names: eastern red maple, Carolina red maple, Drummond's maple, scarlet maple, soft maple, swamp maple, water maple[1][2][3]
Contents
Taxonomic Notes
Variations: A. rubrum Linnaeus var. rubrum; A. rubrum Linnaeus var. trilobum Torrey & A. Gray ex K. Koch.; A. rubrum L. var. drummondii Hook. & Arn. ex Nutt. Sarg.[1][2]
Description
Leaves in cooler climates (e.g. Rhode Island) tend to have more teeth and are more highly dissected than in warmer climates (e.g. Florida)[4]
Distribution
A. rubrum occurs across the eastern United states including parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, and Minnesota. This range includes the entirety of the southeastern United States coastal plain. The red maple can also be found in parts of Oregon and eastern Canada.[2]
Ecology
Habitat
A. rubrum is most abundant in bottom lands but are known to quickly establish in other areas disturbed by fire, logging, and abandoned farming areas. It is also tolerant of waterlogged soils and flooding making it a "super-generalist" growing on the widest variety of sites and in the greatest range of conditions of any North American species.[3] Despite their ability to aggressively colonize disturbed, wet, and shady areas, A. rubrum is intolerent of frequent fires[3][5] and areas where saltwater inundation can occur [6]
Phenology
A. rubrum flowers between February and April with fruiting occurring between April and June.[3]
Seed dispersal
Trees as young as 4 years can begin producing seeds.[3]
Seed bank and germination
95% of viable seeds germinate within 10 days of dispersal allowing A. rubrum seedlings to establish themselves 3-4 months before other associated woody species.[3]
Fire ecology
The thin bark and lower rates of resprouting make A. rubrum a very fire intolerant species.[3][5] Although a single fire event can reduce seedling and sapling densities, it is quick to recolonize to pre-burn levels within four growing seasons via seedlings and resprouts. [7]
Conservation and Management
Cultivation and restoration
Photo Gallery
References and notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Weakley A. S.(2015). Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Herbarium.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 USDA, NRCS. (2016). The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 30 November 2017). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Nesom G. and Moore L. (2006). Plant Guide: Red Maple Acer rubrum L. Baton Rouge, LA: United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant Materials Program.
- ↑ Royer D. L., Meyerson L. A., Robertson K. M., and Adams J. M. (2009). Phenotypic plasticity of leaf shape along a temperature gradient in Acer rubrum.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Huddle J. A. and Pallardy S. G. (1999). Effect of fire on survival and growth of Acer rubrum and Quercus seedlings.
- ↑ Conner W. H. and Askew G. R. (1993). Impact of saltwater flooding on red maple, redbay, and Chinese tallow seedlings. Castanea 58(3):214-219.
- ↑ Albrecht M. A. and McCarthy B. C. (2006). Effects of prescribed fire and thinning on tree recruitment patterns in central hardwood forests. Forest Ecology and Management 226:88-103.
