=Habitat=.—Damp mountain forests, along streams and on rocky slopes; thrives in the shade of other trees.
=Notes=.—The Mountain Maple is often seen fruiting when only 4 or 5 feet high, but it frequently reaches tree size in favorable locations. The wood is not found on the market. This species is one of the most ornamental of the maples and should be planted more generally. The erect flower spikes, small red fruits, reddish twigs, and coarse-toothed leaves are characters that distinguish it from other maples.
=Form=.—Height 60-100 feet, diameter 3-5 feet; trunk of trees in close stands long, clear and straight; crown conical or round-topped, with many ascending and horizontal branches.
=Leaves=.—Opposite, simple, 3-5 inches long, 5-lobed with rounded sinuses and sparingly sinuate-toothed margins; smooth and dark green above, paler and somewhat downy on the veins beneath.
=Flowers=.—April-May; polygamo-monoecious or dioecious; both kinds of flowers on thread-like, hairy pedicels in drooping corymbs; greenish yellow.
=Fruit=.—Matures in early autumn; clustered groups of paired samaras, glabrous, with slightly diverging wings about 1 inch long.
=Bark=.—Deeply fissured and with prominent dark gray, flaky ridges.
=Wood=.—Heavy, hard, strong, close-grained, durable, light brown to reddish.
=Range=.—Newfoundland to Florida and Texas.
=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Found in nearly all parts of the State; most abundant on upland flats and in rich coves along the Alleghanies from Preston County through Tucker, Barbour, Randolph, Pocahontas, Greenbrier and Monroe; common in the high hilly sections lying west of the mountains, rare in the Eastern Panhandle.
=Habitat=.—Moist, rich soils of river valleys, coves, and high flats and rocky loams of hillsides.
=Notes=.—The Sugar, or Rock Maple is one of our best known and most valuable trees. Its timber is becoming more highly prized as other species are disappearing. Interior finish, furniture, shoe-lasts and cross-ties are among the common uses of this wood. It is the principal species from which maple syrup and sugar are made, and one of the very best trees for ornamental planting.
=Acer saccharum nigrum=, (Michx. f.) Britt.
=Form=.—Height 75-90 feet, diameter 2-3½ feet; trunk and crown as in sugar maple.