Skip to main content

Florida 4-H Forest Ecology

Florida 4-H Forest Ecology

Florida Maple

Acer saccharum subsp. floridanum
Family: Sapindaceae

Natural History

fl-maple-full
Leaves of Florida maple | Photo credit: Niels Proctor, University of Florida

The Florida maple is a medium-sized, deciduous tree that commonly reaches 30 feet tall (although the record growth of this tree is 128 feet tall).

In natural areas, this tree is generally found below the canopy in the midstory, where it can tolerate shade, and moist to wet ecosystems. The leaves turn yellow to red in the fall, and the tree generally holds on to dead leaves through much of the winter.

This tree is a subspecies of the sugar maple (Acer saccharum) that occurs farther north in the Appalachians.

Section Topics