Trees & woodland lore · Western North Carolina field companion
Southern sugar maple
Acer floridanum
Whole tree — Acer floridanum. Species reference; the photographed specimen does not confirm the named variety. Age, pruning, and site affect its shape.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shade(c) Scott Allen Davis, some rights reserved (CC BY) ↗ · CC BY 4.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.
Problems to recognize in WNC gardens. These are documented susceptibilities, not a local outbreak report or a diagnosis. Weather, elevation and growing conditions change the risk.
Diseases & similar-looking injury
Anthracnose, tar spot and other leaf spots may occur; wilt and cankers are more serious. Drought scorch is not an infection.
Insects to recognize
Aphids, borers and scale may occur.
When to look
Check leaves in spring wet weather and canopy condition during summer drought.
A useful first step
Reduce soil compaction and support moisture during dry spells. Have recurring dieback or sudden branch wilt assessed.
More growing details
Read the leaves
Leaves resemble small sugar-maple leaves with relatively shallow lobes. Underside color and hairs help, but size alone is insufficient.
Read the bark
Gray bark becomes ridged and furrowed with age.
Fruit & seed
Paired samaras identify the maple group; inspect leaves and a regional key to resolve the species.
Winter character
Opposite pointed buds support a sugar-maple-group identification.
Origin & place
A southeastern native associated mainly with lower-elevation regions. It is not interchangeable with the common mountain sugar maple.
WNC Notes
Smaller, heat-tolerant sugar-maple relative; suited to drained sites.
Sun Exposure
Full sun–part shade
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
20–60
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
25–40
BLOOM SEASON
Spring
BLOOM COLOR
Greenish yellow
FALL / WINTER COLOR
Yellow-orange
Wet-Soil Tolerance
Low–moderate
Drought Tolerance
High
LOOK CLOSELY
Two views, a closer look.
Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.
Whole tree — Acer floridanum. Species reference; the photographed specimen does not confirm the named variety. Age, pruning, and site affect its shape.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shade(c) Scott Allen Davis, some rights reserved (CC BY) ↗ · CC BY 4.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.Species reference; does not confirm the named variety. Photograph subject: Brown conical leaf bud at the stem tip.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeBruce Kirchoff ↗ · CC BY 2.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.Southern sugar maple foliage in autumn, photographed at the Berlin Botanical Garden. Compare the shallow lobes and the pale lower surface across several mature leaves.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeBotBln ↗ · CC BY-SA 3.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.Smooth bark with mottled light & dark grey patches — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeDavid J. Stang ↗ · CC-BY-SA 2.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.
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