Identification: Shaggy bark maple

Discussion in 'Maples' started by pharvie1950, Aug 29, 2010.

  1. pharvie1950

    pharvie1950 Member

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    Location:
    Brunswick, Maine, USA
    A few years ago there was a conversation on this site about a large shaggy bark maple in central Maine that no one seemed to be able to identify. I'm in southern Maine and have come across several large, old (at least 100 years old) 3-lobed maples that I can't identify. The leaves look a bit like mountain maple but since that's a shrubby plant, that doesn't work. Here are a couple of pictures. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
     

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  2. timnichols

    timnichols Active Member Maple Society 10 Years

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    pharvie1950,

    I am not yet good at identifying trees by bark and structure. If you can post an up close photo of a leaf, I might be able to help you out.

    Tim
     
  3. emery

    emery Renowned Contributor Maple Society 10 Years

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    Old Red Maples will get bark like that. Hard to see the leaves well but I'm guessing that's what you have: A. rubrum. The Brunswick location would also support that.

    -E
     
  4. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Ditto to Red Maple Acer rubrum.

    Silver Maple has similar bark, but the leaves are more deeply divided.
     
  5. pharvie1950

    pharvie1950 Member

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    Here are some better phoptos of a leaf from that tree. It sure doesn't look like a red maple!
     

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  6. pharvie1950

    pharvie1950 Member

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    I stand corrected! I'm new to maples and most folks around here (at least that I talk to) call the red variety of Norway maple "red maple". Ah, the reason for sciientific nomenclature. Also, the "best" key I use has red maple leaves represented with a distinctly 5-lobed outline. Upon further looking, however, I see that that isn't always the case.

    Thanks for all the replies.

    peter
     
  7. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Many red maple leaves are the shape shown above.
     

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