January 2015 Biodiversity Spotlight
The red maple (Acer rubrum)
Photo courtesy of Gill Nelson.
The red maple (Acer rubrum) is a tree native to eastern North America. It is fast-growing with strong wood and can reach up to 75 feet in height. The red maple can tolerate a variety of soil types but naturally occurs in low, wet habitat (hence their other common name the swamp maple).