What to Know About the Red Maple

Acer Rubrum

As one of the most common trees in North America, the red maple (Acer rubrum) can be seen in most places in the Eastern United States. The species is treasured as a robust shade tree that does well in neighborhoods and many urban settings. The tones of red on these maples add to their appeal, from the spring buds and flowers to fiery fall foliage. Here, we’ll go over the many reasons red maple trees thrive in Nashville and help Nashville thrive.

What Does a Red Maple Look Like?

These tough trees are named for their most obvious and distinguishing feature: their red coloration. However, there are several other characteristics that distinguish a red maple within the canopy. 

Their leaves are easily identified when compared to others. The shape of a red maple leaf is distinct, with three pointed lobes and serrated (jagged) edges. They also have a fuzzy underside that other maples don’t. In the early spring, the trees have little red buds that bloom into red flowers with green leaves, while in the fall, their foliage color will vary by variety, from full, blazing red to a mix of yellows and oranges among red or purple leaves. Similarly, the seed pods (samaras, which look like propellers) have a pink wing on a green seed case in the spring and summer. 

The bark of red maples is rather distinctive as well. When young, the trees have a smooth, light gray bark, but as they mature, the trunk transitions into a flaky light brown in long plates that peel slightly away from a reddish-brown interior bark. While individual specimens will vary, the vertical strips and plates, with a smoother upper bark in comparison to the base, indicate a red maple.

The red maple species is also called a “swamp maple” due to its high tolerance for wet soil and flooding. Like the bald cypress, it can be found growing in swamps and bogs. However, red maples grow just as well in comparatively dry soil. As a moisture-loving tree, it isn’t the most drought-tolerant and may need extra watering during periods of summer heat and dryness. 

While these maples aren’t very tolerant of salt, they can grow in the compacted soil often found along sidewalks, streets, and parks. Even so, they will do better in an open, grassy area rather than near impermeable surfaces like concrete and asphalt. They prefer slightly acidic soil, which can be found across urban and neighborhood areas.

How Fast Do Red Maples Grow?

Red maple trees are fast growers, especially in open spaces. As a sun-loving tree, this maple is a somewhat fast grower, achieving an extra foot or two each year as it ages. They are a pioneer species, meaning they will shoot up quickly in sunny spaces like on the edges of wild areas or after a disturbance. As a native tree, however, this is not a problem! The faster they grow, the faster they can provide habitat to native birds, insects, and other wildlife that depend on the maple as a provider of food (including leaves, bark, buds, seeds, and sapling sprouts) and shelter. 

How Big Do Red Maples Get?

Red maple trees are medium-sized canopy trees that usually reach up to 60 feet at full maturity. Following the tree’s quick growth rate and medium size, it doesn’t live quite as long as other species, usually reaching about one hundred years old. As a prolific seeder, however, the red maple’s generational turnover keeps the tree present and accounted for across Nashville’s canopy.

What Does the Red Maple Tree Mean?

The color red is often symbolic of passion and strength, and a hardy red maple stands out as a symbol of the vigor of spring and the cycle of the seasons in general. One of the earliest bloomers each year, the red maple’s scarlet flowers welcome the warmer weather, and the tree’s abundant seeding ensures a bountiful year to follow for the species. In addition, the vivid fall display of a red maple communicates the end of a tree’s successful summer as it prepares to withstand the winter and meet springtime on the other side. In every season, red maples contribute essential ecosystem services that improve the health and beauty of Nashville.

To get your hands on a red maple or two for your own yard, check out the tree’s listing here through the Nashville Tree Conservation Corps’ tree sale. The sale is ongoing throughout the year, but trees are delivered during tree-planting season in the fall and winter. If you’d rather help us plant a tree, sign up to volunteer! And to stay updated on the latest tree news around Nashville, subscribe to our email newsletter!