Leaf guide › Maples
Sugar maple
Acer saccharum
The tree behind New England’s famous orange hillsides, and the source of maple syrup.
Updated
- Fall color
- OrangeYellowRed
- Turns
- Mid-season
- Leaves
- Opposite (in pairs)
- Size
- 3–6 in. across
- Found in
- New England & New York, Great Lakes & North Woods, Appalachians, Midwest
How to recognize it
- Five lobes with smooth, rounded U-shaped notches between them.
- Edges are smooth except for a few large, pointed teeth on each lobe.
- Leaves grow in pairs directly across from each other on the twig.
- One tree often shows yellow, orange, and red at the same time.
Easy to confuse with
Red maple
Notches between lobes are sharp V shapes, and the edges are lined with many small teeth.
Norway maple
Snap the leaf stem: Norway maple oozes milky white sap. It stays green into November, then turns plain yellow.
Worth knowing
It takes about 40 gallons of sugar maple sap to boil down one gallon of syrup. It’s the state tree of Vermont, New York, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.
Common questions
What color does sugar maple turn in fall?
Sugar maple turns orange, yellow and red in fall. The tree behind New England’s famous orange hillsides, and the source of maple syrup.
When does sugar maple change color?
It usually colors in the middle of the local season, close to overall peak.
How can you tell sugar maple from red maple?
Red maple: Notches between lobes are sharp V shapes, and the edges are lined with many small teeth. Sugar maple: Five lobes with smooth, rounded U-shaped notches between them.
Where does sugar maple grow?
In the lower 48, look for it in New England & New York, Great Lakes & North Woods, Appalachians, Midwest.
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