Drummond red maple
Acer rubrum L. var. drummondii (Hook. & Arn. ex Nutt.) Sarg.
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Form
Drummond red maple form
Habitat
Drummond red maple habitat
Leaves
Drummond red maple leaf-adaxial side Drummond red maple leaf-abaxial side Drummond red maple leaf-abaxial zoom
Twigs
Drummond red maple node Drummond red maple-node and buds Drummond red maple-buds
Bark
Drummond red maple bark Drummond red maple bark
Flowers
Drummond red maple flowers Drummond red maple flowers Drummond red maple flowers Drummond red maple flowers
Fruit
Drummond red maple fruit Drummond red maple fruit
  • FAMILY: SAPINDACEAE (alternately: ACERACEAE)
  • ALTERNATE COMMON NAME: swamp red maple
  • LEAVES: opposite, simple, deciduous; blades 3-6” long and wide, palmately 3-5 lobed with V-shaped sinuses; whitish and tomentose below; petiole red
  • FLOWER: functionally unisexual, plants usually dioecious; flowers varying from deep red to pinkinsh; pistillate flowers on drooping racemes, staminate flowers in axillary fascicles; flowering well before leaf-out, December through February
  • FRUIT: ded to pinkish double samara, maturing in early spring
  • TWIGS: reddish buds, terminal blunt, globose lateral flower buds; flower buds swell almost as soon as leaves drop in the fall
  • BARK: light to dark gray, smooth when young, long scaly plates when older
  • FORM: medium sized tree
  • HABITAT: bottomland hardwood forests, cypress-tupelo swamps
  • WETLAND DESIGNATION: Acer rubrum is classified as Facultative (FAC). The current national list of plants that occur in wetlands does not provide wetland indicator status ratings for subspecific taxa.
  • RANGE: southeastern US [USDA Range MAP]  [USGS Range Map]
  • USES: considered a soft maple (referring to softer wood than hard maple, represented by Acer saccharum), moderate quality hardwood when large, used for baskets, veneer, pulp, pallets, musical instruments, specialty wood items
  • WILDLIFE: stump sprouts usually heavily browsed by deer and small mammals; seeds eaten by song and game birds; important squirrel food; provides nectar/pollen resources for pollinators very early in the season
    • Best Recognition Features:
    1. opposite simple, palmately 3-5 lobed leaves
    2. leaves tomentose beneath
    3. red flowers and particularly showy red (sometimes pink-salmon); double samaras maturing before leaf-out
    4. on very wet sites
    LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources

    School of Renewable Natural Reources    		 Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours
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    LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources
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