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Southern Sugar Maple (Acer barbatum): Heat-Tolerant Maple

Southern sugar maple, or Florida maple, is a deciduous tree native to the southeastern US, offering the classic sugar maple form with better heat and humidity tolerance.

Botanical Profile

Family:	Sapindaceae
Genus:	Acer
Species:	barbatum
Synonyms:	Acer floridanum, Acer nigrum var. floridanum, Acer saccharum var. floridanum, Saccharodendron barbatum, Saccharodendron floridanum

Description and Features

This tree grows 20–60 feet tall with a rounded crown. Leaves are 3–5 lobed, smaller than northern sugar maple, turning yellow to orange in fall. Bark is gray, furrowed. Samaras are typical maple "helicopters."

Cultivation and Uses

Southern sugar maple prefers moist, well-drained, acidic soil and full sun to partial shade. It is more tolerant of heat, humidity, and clay soils than A. saccharum. Used as a shade tree in the South. Sap can be tapped for syrup, though yield is lower.

Taxonomic Note

Often treated as a variety of Acer saccharum.

Tree: Sugar Maple White Spots: Harmless Lichens, Real Issue Likely Planting or Herbicide; Sugar Maple with Black Trunk and Holes: Sapsucker Activity; Sourcing Sugar Maple Seeds from the Midwest for Research; Sugar Maple Sapling Care: Container Growing Until Permanent Planting; Red Maple (Acer rubrum): Ubiquitous Native with Scarlet Spring and Fall; Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum): Source of Maple Syrup and Legendary Fall Color; Shantung Maple (Acer truncatum): Tough Asian Maple for Urban Landscapes; Amur Maple (Acer ginnala): Compact Fall Color; Dryopteris ludoviciana: Florida Shield Fern; Maples (Acer): From Patio Specimens to Majestic Shade Trees

Garden Articles

Identifying and Managing Leaf Scorch on Sugar Maples

Saving Sugar Maples from Borer Damage

Sugar Maple Planting Distance from Foundation: Branch vs. Root Concerns

Sugar Maple Root Damage from Edging: Recovery Through Fertilization

Maple Sap Flow After Utility Pruning: Normal and Temporary

Newly Planted Sugar Maple Struggles in Clay Soil and Heat

Amur Maple 'Flame' (Acer ginnala): Brilliant Fall Color in a Compact Package

Plants

Japanese Maple Cutting Propagation: Difficult but Possible

Identifying a Volunteer Maple: It's a Boxelder

Maple Syrup Production: Sugar Yield Per Tree

Twig Girdler vs. Borer in Young Sugar Maples

Boxelder (Acer negundo)

Florida Maple 'Caddo' (Acer saccharum 'Caddo'): Heat and Drought Tolerant Sugar Maple Selection

Growing Acer (Japanese Maple): Planting and Protection Tips