Latin Name: Acer rubrum L.
General Description: The tree divides near the ground in the open, while in the forest is usually free of branches for half its length.
Leaves: Three to five lobes with shallow notches and irregular, sharp, double teeth 3 to 5 inches across, light green above, whitened underneath, both surfaces hairless. Sides of the two lobes form a right angle, turns a brilliant scarlet in autumn.
Twigs: Quite stout, shining red to grayish-brown, without hairs, leaf-buds blunt.
Fruit: Matures in midsummer; 3/4 inches long with a swollen seed, wings spread at an angle of about 60 degrees.
Flowers: red, appear before the leaves in dense clusters, very small petals.
Sources used: Native Trees of Canada by R.C. Hosie (1980).