Acer rubrum

The red maple is in the soapberry or Sapindaceae family and is the most commonplace and widely recognized deciduous species in eastern and central North America, from southern Manitoba eastward to Newfoundland and south from Florida to Texas. It grows to reach up to 27 m tall.

• Leaves are opposite, simple, very variable in shape and many cultivars have been developed, most having various levels of redness in their leaves, flowers, petioles twigs and seeds. Leaves are up to 10 cm long, palmate, with 3 to 5 lobes, turning red or yellow in the autumn.
• Flowers are small, reddish with red stems, in clusters, in early spring before the leaves. They give the tree a distinct red appearance for 6 weeks in spring.
• Double samara seeds have red wings and are about 2 cm long, with the angle of acuteness between the seeds being slightly rounded and about 50°. However, it is common to not find any seeds on red maples, with some being males and others infertile because of crossing.
• Buds are usually blunt and greenish to reddish in color, generally with several loose scales. The lateral buds are slightly stalked, and in addition there may be collateral buds present as well. The buds form in fall and winter and are often visible from a distance due to their reddish tint.
• Leaf scars on the twig are V-shaped and contain 3 bundle scars.