Acer rubrum

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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.
ACER RUBR DIST.JPG
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]

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

Distribution

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]

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][4] 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. [5]


Conservation and Management

Cultivation and restoration

Photo Gallery

References and notes

  1. 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. 2.0 2.1 USDA, NRCS. (2016). The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 30 November 2017). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 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.
  4. Huddle J. A. and Pallardy S. G. (1999). Effect of fire on survival and growth of Acer rubrum and Quercus seedlings.
  5. 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.