Sugar Maple: Acer saccharum
The Life History and Reproduction of Acer saccharum
Sugar
Maple trees begin to bud out early in the spring and leaves are fully
formed three to four weeks later. The Sugar Maple tree reaches flowering
maturity at approximately the age of 20-30. During the year, flowers
begin to appear between late March and mid May. Soon after the leaves
will become fully formed. This species
of tree is monoecious producing both sexes on the same tree. Typically
both sexes are found near the top of the tree, but only male flowers
near the bottom. It has also been reported that some trees separate
their sexes by producing only one sex on one major limb and the other
sex on another major limb.
Although it has been thought that bees are required for pollination,
interestingly
pollination of Sugar Maple does not require the help of insects. They
can freely pollinate themselves. After about 16 weeks, the double samara
seed begins to emerge. Seeds are considered mature when they have turned
to a yellowish green color. The samaras fall about 2 weeks after
emerging which is usually just before the leaves begin to fall in
autumn. The fact that the seeds possess large wing like structures aids
in their dispersal. As they begin to fall, the wind can carry the seeds
at least 330 ft. Check out the
Adaptations page to learn more.
For
a Sugar Maple seed to germinate, the temperature has to be slightly
above freezing. In fact its optimum temperature is 1°C (34°F), which is
the lowest of any forest species. The forest floor must also be moist in
order for Sugar Maple seeds to germinate properly. The seeds typically
germinate during the spring after they were dispersed in the fall.
Sugar Maple seedlings are especially equipped to tolerate high shade and can survive for a long time without a high amount of sun. Sugar Maple growth is slow though, as a result, but as the tree ages it can reach heights of 90 to 120 feet and be as wide as 30 to 36 inches. This species of tree has also been known to reach incredibly long age of 300 to 400 years.
To learn more how the Sugar Maple can persist after germination, check out the Acer saccharum Nutrition page. To return to the Acer saccharum Homepage click here.