Black Maple is a stately subspecies of sugar maple selected for its columnar form, reaching 50 to 70 feet tall with a refined, upright crown that suits modern landscapes without overwhelming them. Hardy from zones 4 to 8, this deciduous tree thrives in full sun to partial shade and tolerates heat and drought better than its sugar maple cousins. The medium green leaves, typically 3 to 6 inches wide with 3 to 5 lobes, transform to yellow-orange in autumn with remarkable color variation. In spring, insignificant flowers give way to showy, winged fruits that birds relish. Its combination of elegant proportions, resilience, and ecological value makes it an exceptional choice for shade and street plantings.
Partial Sun
Moderate
4-8
840in H x 360in W
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Moderate
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The 'Green Column' cultivar offers sugar maple's legendary fall color and hardwood forest heritage in a more manageable, columnar silhouette. You get the dense, rounded crown character of the species without the sprawling width of traditional forms, making it genuinely useful for urban and suburban settings. This tree tolerates both heat and drought better than typical sugar maples while maintaining that deep connection to Eastern hardwood ecology that makes it ornamentally and ecologically significant.
Black Maple serves as an excellent shade tree and street tree, valued for its ability to provide cooling canopy coverage in residential and urban landscapes while contributing to forest structure and wildlife habitat. Its showy fruit attracts birds, enhancing ecological function in gardens and parks.
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