What is the best kind of maple tree?

Sugar maples: Definitely the best option if you're interested in harvesting your own sap. Sugar maples also grow into large shade trees when they reach heights of 55 to 75 feet, with an extension of 30 to 50 feet. When it comes to fall color, sugar maples top the list. These native maples are absolutely spectacular in fall, when their foliage takes on vibrant hues of red, orange and yellow.

They make great shade trees for large backyards. There are several variety options to choose from, but “Green Mountain” is one of the most popular because it is drought-resistant. Silver maple is an elegant, fast-growing type of maple that is best planted in humid places, away from buildings, because they tend to drop branches easily. They have aggressive root systems that can infiltrate sewer systems, so it's best to plant them away from underground pipes.

Hybrids such as “Silver Queen” or “Silver Cloud” are less complicated and aggressive. Native to North America, the red maple forms an oval crown of bright green leaves that turn deep red in autumn. The red maple, which grows at a moderate rate, is a sturdy and beautiful shade tree. Look for the best varieties, such as “Red Sunset”, “October Glory”, “Red Supersonic”, “Ruby Frost” and “Columnar”.

The rounded shape of the maple hedge is easily cut to any height to create a privacy screen or a habitable wall. In autumn, this maple grows beautiful pale yellow leaves. If you love Japanese maple varieties but live in a region where they won't survive the winter, try Korean maple. These small, sturdy trees can tolerate cold temperatures.

The trees have deeply lobed dark green leaves that turn crimson in autumn. This type of maple loves full sun and partial shade. Resistant to air pollution, the trident maple is a good choice for planting on the street. In autumn, the bright green lobed foliage of this maple variety changes to intense scarlet and orange.

The trident maple grows slowly, so it rarely needs pruning. Plant this red maple in full sun or partial shade. Although closely related to the sugar maple, black maples are more resistant to heat and drought. Otherwise, these close cousins are similar, except for the shape of the leaf.

Black maple leaves have three lobes, while sugar maples have the traditional five lobes. Japanese maples are a favorite choice as a specimen tree with their typically smaller size, bark, leaf shapes and unusual colors. Choose from many selections, from the Japanese Red Dragon maple to the Bloodgood, find the right Japanese maple for your landscape. Did you know that there are more than 125 species of maples in the world? Most are native to Asia, and only 13 are native to the United States.

While they share some common traits, maples can vary greatly from species to species. They can be identified by the bark, leaves and fruits they produce. Here are the six most common types of maples in the U.S. UU.

And some information on how you can tell them apart. The sugar maple is perhaps the most famous maple tree. Without it, breakfasts across the country would be very different. It is most commonly found in the Northeastern U.S.

And in southeastern Canada, sugar maples are known to be the source of the sap used to make maple syrup. Sugar maples have a furrowed brown bark, while their leaves are dark green on the top and a lighter shade of green on the bottom. Paperbark maples are easy to identify; their peeled, paper-like bark often looks like it's about to fall off the tree. That bark, normally rusty red, adds to the tree's distinctive appearance and contrasts beautifully with the dark brown bark below.

The paperbark maple leaves are dark green on the top and paler and hairier on the underside. Red maple leaves are a dull green color with a silvery, furry underside. As red maples mature, their bark changes from light gray and fairly smooth to a much more furrowed and scaly one. Silver maples are a resilient group.

They can grow in many climates and environments, and thrive even in places with poor soil conditions and air pollution. They also grow quickly, often to much higher heights than most maples, usually in the 50 feet. Silver maples can be identified by their striking height and the “brownish green fruit” they produce every spring. Boxelder maples don't look like other maples.

Its leaves are composite and round, nothing like the classic pointed leaves that maples are known for. Native to the central and eastern United States. Bigleaf maples are native to the Pacific Northwest and can be easily identified by their leaves, which often grow to around 12 inches in diameter. They are often covered with moss and lichens, thanks to the deep crests of their bark that provide an ideal environment for this type of overgrowth.

We recommend that our users update their browser. The red maple (Acer rubrum) is another large tree, which grows up to 70 feet tall, with clusters of small reddish flowers in spring and large three- to five-lobed leaves. Several types of maples are medium-sized trees that are quite attractive and provide shade, while adapting well to areas where space is limited. The sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is one such example, which reaches a height of 40 to 80 feet and extends to cover an area of 30 to 60 feet when ripe.

Perfect for small gardens, this beautiful, slow-growing maple tree develops beautiful, peeled, reddish-brown bark. It is so superior to all the others that it could be called the best, several species of maple are excellent options for a home garden. Redpointe's red maple is a perfect example of why red maple stands out in the landscape with its pyramidal shape, exceptional disease resistance and a consistently striking red color. Maples bleed their sap profusely when pruned during the growing season and, while this may not harm the tree significantly, it offers entry points for insect pests and can be unsightly.

Named for its unique striped bark, snakebark maple is a relatively compact type of maple, making it a good choice for small patios. While most maples don't thrive in especially humid locations, silver and red maples can thrive in soil that is fairly humid and tends to stay soaked for periods of time. First selected at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, the award-winning Morton Miyabe maple has proven to be a durable, easy-care maple with incredible fall color. Native to North America, it was Native Americans who discovered the maple tree using the sap to make maple syrup.

This type of maple has reddish-pink bark and pale green leaves that turn bright yellow in the fall. .