Maple trees are sought after specimen trees for many viable reasons.
On the aesthetic side, we all love the fall colors of maple trees.
Some species would even sport various autumn colors at once.
Maple trees belong to theAcergenus.
Of course, one could easily recognize a maple tree by its lobed, five-point leaves.
Its foliage is green most of the year, but it turns into different colors come fall.
Furthermore, they sport a dark bark, reddish-brown twigs, and sometimes produce winged fruits.
How many types of maple trees are there?
Where do maple trees grow?
When planted, just take note that it would thrive in full sun and partial shade.
When broken, they would yield a bit of milky sap.
There are also prominent grooves in between plates.
The smallest ornamental maple grows to just 8ft while some of the tallest species are at 120ft and above.
Flowers
It is an underrated fact, but maple trees do bear flowers.
Most bloom yellow-green, yellow, or white flowers during spring, while some come late during summer.
Some notable ones like the silver maple bloom in late winter.
Here are some of their considerable differences.
Types of maple trees
As have been said, there are many types of maple trees.
Some of them are more familiar than others but we just do not know the name.
Some are rare but are remarkable specimen trees for any landscape or garden.
To know more of them, here are some notable maple tree types that you should know of.
1.Amur Maple (Acer ginnala)
This one is one of the smallest maple trees available.
It also goes by the name of Siberian maple and is listed as a subspecies of Tatarian maple.
Its native areas would be Siberia, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia.
It grows to just 30ft with red and yellow leaf colors during fall.
Its most popular cultivars would be the Flame and Ember.
It develops drought tolerance once the roots are established.
It is also called the Oregon maple or the broadleaf maple.
It is also identifiable for its large trunk and furrowed, reddish brown bark.
Because of its large shade cover, it is planted extensively in national parks and streets.
It can grow to a maximum height of 100ft, loves full sun and can tolerate partial shade.
It is hardy in zones 5-9 and is tolerant to drought.
It is a fast grower and sometimes becomes mature with multiple trunks.
It can reach a height of 80ft, making it more of a shade tree than a specimen tree.
The leaves are more like ivy leaves than maple leaves.
They have three lobes at youth and become lobeless at maturity.
They are also serrated at the edges and turn yellow during fall.
They are great underlayer trees for landscapes as they grow at just 20-25ft especially in a contrast of evergreens.
It loves well-draining soils and thrives in full sun to partial shade.
It loves moisture and grows at a moderate rate.
It is a hardy ornamental as it is both drought and frost-tolerant.
As such, it is commonly found in large estates, national parks, and urban landscapes.
Since it grows in between 25-40ft, it could also be planted as a shade tree.
It has an upright growth habit, forming a dense, rounded crown.
It also has the ability to withstand long winters.
Shrub or tree, it has a beautiful foliage display during fall.
Its lobed leaves turn from yellow green to bright orange or crimson red in autumn.
It is also one of those few maple trees with soft textured barks and subtle furrows.
In the fall, the green leaves turn into fiery yellow.
It grows in between 25-35ft and its native location would be across Europe and southwest Asia.
It thrives in zones 5-8.
It has elongated leaves that are completely lobeless.
Because the tree itself resembles the hornbeam tree, this maple was named as such.
It is a rare maple tree, but it still is a beautiful landscape specimen tree growing from 15-30ft.
9.Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum)
This one is a common landscape specimen tree.
It has one of the maple tree types with the most cultivars.
Typically, they grow at a height of 25ft.
They love partial shade and well-draining soils.
They grow small, yet majestic pink maple leaves in the fall, making an autumn visual display.
It holds this color combo the whole summer and then completely turns into ruby red in the fall.
It is also a beautiful focal point for any landscape because of its dramatic, pendulous growing habit.
It only grows from 5-10ft.
They can be grown as small trees, shrubs, or container plants.
It is, however, susceptible to common maple tree pests and diseases.
It can also thrive well in soils with high salt and acid content.
Norway maples love full sun and partial shade.
They thrive extensively in zones 4-7 at a height of 50ft.
You would love its red, orange and yellow colors during fall.
It is a cultivar of the red maple and best thrives in temperate to warmer climates.
It blooms red flowers in spring and bears small fruits thereafter.
The seeds of its fruits are important sources of food for wildlife.
It is a fast grower and reaches 40-50ft in height.
It is slightly drought tolerant and can be susceptible to common tree pests and diseases.
It is a beautiful specimen tree that grows up to 25ft.
It typically grows a multi-stem shrub, but it can be trained to grow at a single stem.
The leaves are bright green most times of the year but during fall, it turns into bright red.
Compared to other maple trees, it is not drought tolerant, needing more frequent watering.
It is a fast grower, and it could reach a height of 75ft.
It is a good landscape tree because of its commendable shade reach.
However, it has invasive roots so plant it as far from the house.
The leaves of the red maple turn into bright red and orange two weeks before fall.
As such, they are the signifiers that fall is coming.
It is not choosy when it comes to soil conditions.
Its main downside however, would be its susceptibility to a wide range of maple tree pests and diseases.
It is often associated with the amur maple too because of its high ornamental value.
Its leaves also offer a full visual display during fall.
Its yellow green leaves turn into golden orange and deepens into fiery red as the season progresses.
It grows high at 70ft and thrives in zones 3-9.
As landscape trees, they work well as shade trees or as alandscape fenceor screen.
It loves full sun, well-drained soils, and frequent watering during dry seasons.
In terms of appearance, it is a massive maple tree as it grows in between 40-100ft.
It has a dense, rounded crown, with subtly lobed leaves that turn into bronze during fall.
It is more popular as a shade tree than a specimen tree for your landscape.
19.Tatarian Maple (Acer tataricum)
The Tatarian maple is the mother species of the Amur maple.
In the spring, it blooms odorless, white flowers and then followed by red fruits.
The leaves turn into fiery yellow or bright red during fall.
It grows to just 10-20ft and thrives in zones 3-8.
The leaves all shed during winter.
It is called such because its yellow-green flowers appear in clusters of three during spring.
It is easy to grow and low maintenance but can be susceptible to common pests and diseases.
It grows in between 20-30ft and is a favorite specimen tree for landscapes.
It does not have the same maple leaf look.
As a matter of fact, the leaves would resonate with the leaves of ash trees or ivies.
Hence, it is also called the ivy leaf maple.
It grows in between 15-30ft and its leaves offer a visual display of yellow and red shades at fall.
It is native to Japan and thrives in partial shade.
What are the most common North American maple trees?
Why is the maple leaf important to Canada?
Now, the maple leaf is a strong emblem to denote Canadas identity.
It is also seen in many provincial coat of arms across Canada.
One would be the location.
But with all things considered, maple trees are a visual catch for any landscape.
