American Elm
Ulmus americana Large tree Zones 2–9 60–80 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
A native we do not grow
Red Maple
Acer rubrum. Large tree, 40 to 90 feet, zones 2 to 9; full sun, part shade or shade; dry, average or wet ground.
We do not grow red maple, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Other names | Swamp maple, scarlet maple, Carolina red maple, Drummond red maple, Carolina maple, Canadian maple |
|---|---|
| Form | Large tree |
| Height, feet | 40 to 90 |
| Spread, feet | Up to 50 |
| Zones | 2 to 9 |
| Sun | Full sun, part shade or shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry, average or wet ground |
| Growth | Fast |
| Leaves | Deciduous |
| Traits | Showy flowers, fall color, wildlife value, honey tree, edible, bears young, hedge or screen, winter interest, erosion control |
| Flowers | March to May |
| Fruit | Samaras, April to July |
| First crop | 4 years |
| Pollination | Separate male and female trees. Some red maples carry only male flowers and bear no seed, some only female, and some both, so plant several if you want seed. |
| Lifespan | Can live 310 years, and the oldest dated one reached 300. Only a tiny share of trees has ever been ring-counted or cross-dated. |
| Transplanting | The Morton Arboretum's page on red maple marks it as one that transplants well. |
| Black walnut | Tolerant, on the Morton Arboretum's list |
| Toxicity | The leaves, wilted or dried ones most of all, and the bark are poisonous to horses and cattle, but not to dogs and cats. |
| Ground | Floodplain forests, stream banks, dry uplands, swamps and wet flats |
| Native in | 33 states and the District of Columbia |
Red maple is native in 33 states and the District of Columbia: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from Silvics of North America and NatureServe Explorer. The USDA PLANTS Database also records it growing wild beyond that range in Oregon, where it is naturalized, not native.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it flowers and fruits, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place How many to plant for a crop of seed Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its trunk How a big one scores against the champion trees
For the same ground, we grow
These trees we grow share the most of red maple's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Common Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis Large tree Zones 3–9 40–60 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks and dry uplands in the wild.
Black Gum (Tupelo)
Nyssa sylvatica Large tree Zones 4–9 40–70 ft
Shares floodplain forests, dry uplands, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Swamp Laurel Oak
Quercus laurifolia Large tree Zones 6–10 40–80 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Cedar Elm
Ulmus crassifolia Large tree Zones 6–9 50–70 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks and dry uplands in the wild.
Spruce Pine
Pinus glabra Large tree Zones 7–9 40–80 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from Silvics of North America, NC State Extension, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Morton Arboretum, the Wildflower Center, the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, the USDA PLANTS Database, UF/IFAS Extension, the US Forest Service, the Eastern Native Tree Society, Virginia Tech's dendrology site, the ASPCA and the Merck Veterinary Manual.