Scientific Name
Acer saccharum ‘Legacy’
The state tree of New York, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Vermont, the sugar maple is a favorite forest tree of the northeast quadrant of the United States Its native range also extends into the Midwestern states of Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri. Out of all these areas it does best in the colder climates (Denver’s currently is not optimal). Sugar maple is famous for the major contribution it makes to the red and orange color of the New England fall forests, and for being by far the best of the maple species that produce maple syrup and sugar. The tree’s public profile is even greater since it’s recognized as the classic maple leaf shape, thanks mostly to it being pictured large on the Canadian flag. These leaves grow in matching pairs directly across from each other on the twig. Their veins spread out like the fingers on your hand, starting from a single point at the bottom of the leaf. Sugar maples are long-lived trees and on average to good sites, will reach 200 years of age, with 300 not being out of the question.
Sugar maple in urban areas can grow to a height of 60 feet or more and cast dense shade with the current Colorado champion at 84 feet tall but few others in Colorado reach that height. Its seeds mature in the fall (unlike the spring-maturing seeds of silver maple) and resemble those of red maple but are slightly larger. The angle of the wing configuration of the double-seeded samaras is one of the features that help distinguish between maple species. For sugar maple, the samaras (seeds) are U-shaped. In the past this tree was not planted very often because it’s slower growing and less tolerant of the harsher aspects of the Colorado climate than some other maples. However, its major problem was not faring well in soil with any degree of alkalinity; in such locations the tree would struggle to access adequate iron, and its foliage would turn into an unhealthy yellow color, a condition called chlorosis. De-icing salts can also be harmful to sugar maples in urban areas. Given the high demand for a tree with superb fall color that many people recall from time spent in the eastern United States, the green industry developed several breeds more adapted to soil alkalinity, and the ‘Legacy’ sugar maple north of O’Connell Hall is one of them.