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tree

Red maple

Acer rubrum

Climate-suitable non-native

Growing guidance

Horticultural figures below are practitioner estimates for planning, pending expert review. The botanical record further down is sourced and verifiable.

Current-climate suitability

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Future-climate resilience

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Sun

Sun or shade

Soil moisture

free-draining, average, moisture-retentive

Heat tolerance

Up to about 40°C

Cold tolerance

Down to about -35°C

Waterlogging tolerance

4/5

Drought tolerance

3/5

Mature size

10–18 m tall, 9 m spread

Seasonal interest

Autumn colour · Scarlet

Maintenance

low

Wildlife supported

General wildlife value 4/5 (verified species relationships are shown only where structured data exists)

Known risks or warnings

Surface roots lift paving near driveways.

Toxicity: none

Verified botanical record

Accepted scientific name
Acer rubrum L.
Family
Sapindaceae (Sapindales)
Rank and status
species · accepted
GBIF record
Taxon 3189883

Recorded as introduced in: Belgium, British Columbia, Central European Russia, Flemish Region, Germany, Great Britain, Oregon, Poland, Walloon Region, Washington

Ranges are exactly as recorded in the GBIF source checklists and may be incomplete for widely cultivated species.

Acer rubrum, the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant native tree in eastern North America. The red maple ranges from southeastern Manitoba around the Lake of the Woods on the border with Ontario and Minnesota, east to Newfoundland, south to Florida, and southwest to East Texas. Many of its features, especially its leaves, are quite variable in form. At maturity, it often attains a height around 30 m (100 ft). Its flowers, petioles, twigs, and seeds are all red to varying degrees. Among these features, however, it is best known for its brilliant deep scarlet foliage in autumn. Over most of its range, red maple is adaptable to a very wide range of site conditions, perhaps more so than any other tree in easter

Description from Wikipedia — Acer rubrum (CC BY-SA), shortened and unedited in substance.

Native status and geographic context

  • United Kingdom: climate-suitable
  • United States: native
  • Australia: climate-suitable

Native status is never inferred from climate similarity. Plants restricted or invasive in a jurisdiction are excluded from recommendations there.

Demonstration data. Climate, plant and retailer records shown here are realistic samples awaiting horticultural validation and live data connections.