Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum
- Plant Type
- Tree (Deciduous)
- Landscape Layer
- Canopy
- Sun
- ☀️ Full Sun, ⛅ Part Sun, ☁️ Shade
- Moisture
- 🏜️ Dry, 💧 Regular
- Soil
- Loam, Sand, Silt, Rocky / Acidic, Calcareous
- Bloom
- April, May
- Sociability
- S2 – Small groups
Pollinator Value
- 🔑 Keystone
- Genus Acer supports 280 species of butterflies and moths as larval hosts in eastern North America. Sugar maple is a dominant canopy tree in beech-maple and mixed hardwood forests, providing critical habitat structure for cavity-nesting birds, bat maternity colonies, and a wide array of invertebrate herbivores. Its wind-dispersed samaras feed squirrels, chipmunks, and upland game birds.
- 🐛 Larval Host
- Acronicta retardata, Eubaphe mendica, Dryocampa rubicunda, Nymphalis antiopa, Paonias myops, Orgyia definita, Acronicta interrupta, Pyrrharctia isabella, Xanthotype sospeta, Papilio glaucus, Acronicta funeralis, Callosamia promethea, Campaea perlata, Paonias excaecatus, Actias luna
- ❄️ Winter Food Source
- Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) consume buds and seeds through winter. Persistent samaras and buds provide forage for overwintering squirrels and small mammals. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drills bark to feed on sap in early spring.
Ecology & Conservation
- Proximity Score
- 0
- Native Status
- ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
- Closest Direction
- Local
- CEC Eco-Regions
- 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
- Rarity Notes
- Globally secure (G5) and nationally secure in both Canada (N5) and the United States (N5). Not listed under SARA. Ranked S5 in both Ontario and Quebec. One of the most abundant and widely distributed hardwoods in eastern North America.
- Rarity Ranks
- QC S5 – Secure, ON S5 – Secure
- Migration
- Stable
- Ecological Context
- Sugar maple is a dominant canopy species in mesic deciduous forests of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region, forming climax beech-maple and sugar maple-basswood associations. In the Outaouais it thrives on well-drained loams and glacial moraines along the Laurentian Shield edge. It is a keystone structural species providing dense summer shade that shapes the understory herb layer and supports a rich spring ephemeral flora.
Permaculture & Companion Planting
- Roles
- Fortress/Barrier, Insectary Plant, Nutrient Accumulator, Wildlife Habitat
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)] | Insectary Plant: S72 Hemenway (tables: 6-2, 7-2, appendix_a, pp. 96, 116, 186)] | Nutrient Accumulator: S72 Hemenway (tables: 6-2, 7-2, appendix_a, pp. 96, 116, 186)] | Wildlife Habitat: S72 Hemenway (tables: 6-2, 7-2, appendix_a, pp. 96, 116, 186)]
- Notes
- Sugar maple functions as a canopy-layer guild anchor providing dense summer shade that favours shade-tolerant understory herbs and spring ephemerals. It is a dynamic nutrient accumulator, cycling calcium, potassium, and other minerals through its heavy leaf litter. However, allelopathic root exudates can suppress some associates, particularly yellow birch. Design should pair it with shade-tolerant understory species adapted to rich mesic conditions.
Medicinal Properties ℹ
Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any plant for medicinal purposes. The information provided is compiled from secondary sources for educational purposes only.
Click here for more info →
ℹ
Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any plant for medicinal purposes. The information provided is compiled from secondary sources for educational purposes only.
Click here for more info →- Category
- Blood tonic, Diuretic, Expectorant, Hepatic, Ophthalmic, Dermatological aid, Pulmonary aid
- Notes
- Iroquois used compound infusion of bark as eye drops for blindness and sap for sore eyes. Inner bark tea served as a blood tonic, diuretic, and expectorant for coughs and diarrhoea. Iroquois also used bark infusion for shortness of breath in forest runners. Maple syrup used in cough syrups and considered a liver tonic and kidney cleanser. Classified as an approved Natural Health Product ingredient by Health Canada.
Edibility & Foraging ℹ
Never ingest a plant unless you have 100% certainty of its identity and have consulted multiple reputable sources. The information provided in the Localeaf Plant Database is compiled from secondary sources for educational and historical purposes only.
Click here for more info →
ℹ
Never ingest a plant unless you have 100% certainty of its identity and have consulted multiple reputable sources. The information provided in the Localeaf Plant Database is compiled from secondary sources for educational and historical purposes only.
Click here for more info →✅ Edible ✅ Commonly Eaten
- Foraging Notes
- Sap is tapped in late winter/early spring and concentrated into maple syrup and sugar, a practice learned from Indigenous peoples including the Algonquin, Iroquois, and Chippewa. Seeds can be boiled and eaten; inner bark was dried and ground into flour for bread by the Iroquois. Self-sown seedlings gathered in early spring are eaten fresh or dried. Edibility rating 4/5.
- Toxicity
-
△ Low Toxicity
Wilted or dried sugar maple leaves contain gallic acid, which can cause Heinz body hemolytic anemia in horses. Toxicity is specific to equines; no known hazards to humans, cattle, or other livestock. USDA rates general toxicity as None. Fresh leaves are not considered toxic.
Seed Source
- NANPS
- OSC
- NANPS