Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (21) View all

Common forest trees of North Carolina

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  • wcu_great_smoky_mtns-9727.jpg
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  • FOREST TREES SUGAR MAPLE (Acer saccTiarwm Marsh.) THE sugar maple, often called sugar tree, is common only on the cool slopes of our higher mountains. It is generally a rather slow-growing tree, but in the open it grows faster and has a very symmetrical, dense crown, affording heavy shade. It is therefore quite extensively planted as a shade tree. The bark on young trees is light gray to brown and rather smooth, but as the tree grows older i t breaks up into long, irregular plates o r scales, which vary from light gray to almost black. The twigs are smooth and red- SUGAR MAPLE Leaf, one-third natural size. Twig, oue-hulf natural size. dish brown, and the winter buds sharp-pointed. The tree attains a height of more than 100 feet and a diameter of 3 feet or more. The sap yields maple sugar and maple syrup. The leaves are 3 to 5 inches across, simple, opposite, with 3 to 5 pointed and sparsely toothed lobes, the divisions between the lobes being rounded. The leaves are dark green on the uprfer surface, lighter green beneath, turning in autumn to brilliant shades of dark red, scarlet, orange and clear yellow. The flowers are yellowish green, on long threadlike stalks, appearing with the leaves, the two kinds in separate clusters. The fruit, which ripens in the fall, consists of a two-winged "samara," or "key," the two wings nearly parallel, about 1 inch in length and containing a seed. It is easily carried by the wind. The wood is hard, heavy, strong, close-grained and light brown in color. It is known commercially as hard maple, and is used in the manufacture of flooring, furniture, shoe-lasts and a great variety of novelties. 65
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