Acer nigrum
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| Acer nigrum | ||||||||||||||
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 Illustration from 1913's Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada
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| Acer nigrum F.Michx. |
Acer nigrum (Black Maple) is a species of maple closely related to A. saccharum (Sugar Maple), and treated as a subspecies of it by some authors, as Acer saccharum subsp. nigrum (F.Michx.) Desmarais.[1][2]
Identification can be confusing due to the tendency of the two species to form hybrids. The simplest and most accurate method for distinguishing between the two trees is the three-lobed leaves of the Black Maple versus the five-lobed leaves of the Sugar Maple. The leaves of the Black Maple also tend to have a "droopy" appearance. Other differences that are not as pronounced include darker, more deeply grooved bark, slightly smaller seeds, and thicker petioles.
The geographic range of A. nigrum is slightly more limited than the Sugar Maple, encompassing much of the Midwestern United States, portions of the northeastern United States, and the extreme southeast of Canada in southern Ontario.[3]
The leaves are considered delicious by the natives in some regions.
This species is used similarly to the A. saccharum, for timber and for maple syrup production.
[edit] References
- ^ USDA Plants Profile: Acer nigrum
- ^ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Acer saccharum subsp. nigrum
- ^ "Acer nigrum Range Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
