Tree to 28 m tall, trunk to 1.5 m in diameter Leaves: opposite, stalked, light green above, pale green to whitish beneath, 5 - 15 cm long, 3.5 - 10 cm wide, toothed, shallowly three- to five-lobed, with few to no hairs on lower surface. Leaves usually turn red in fall, but may also be orange or yellow. Flowers: either male or female, found on the same (monoecious) or different (dioecious) plants, borne in clusters, red or yellow. Fruit: winged (samara), paired, borne in clusters, red to reddish brown or yellow, 1.2 - 2.6 cm long, with wings at a 50 to 60 degree angle. Bark: dark gray, smooth when young, becoming shallowly ridged with flat scaly plates. Twigs: slender, green, becoming red to reddish brown, smooth. Terminal buds: dark red, 3 - 4 mm long, rounded, scales fringed with hairs.

Similar species: Acer rubrum var. rubrum is the most common variety of A. rubrum. It has few to no hairs on the lower leaf surface, while other varieties tend to have more hair.

Flowering: mid March to early May

Habitat and ecology: Usually seen in swamps or bogs in the Chicago Region, but can adapt to diverse habitats such as swampy forests, upland slopes and dry-mesic forests. Seedlings establish in somewhat open woodlands and newly cleared areas.

Occurence in the Chicago region: native

Notes: Acer rubrum is often planted in landscapes for its red fruit, twigs, buds and fall color.

Etymology: Acer is derived from a Latin word meaning sharp, which refers to the hardness of the wood. Rubrum comes from the Latin word for red.

Author: The Morton Arboretum