ACERACEAE The Maple Family

 
 

The Aceraceae are characterized by:

 

  • opposite, palmately-veined leaves
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  • reduced flowers
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  • superior, winged ovary
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  • samaroid fruits
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                                                                                       CLICK for a more detailed character description.

The Aceraceae is a small family of only 2 genera and 150 species, but it is an important component of temperate deciduous forests of North America.  Aceraceae are found mostly in the north temperate region, with the majority of species native to China.  This family is most likely derived from within the primarily tropical family Sapindaceae, and should probably be included within that family. 

Many maples provide valuable timber with hard, dense wood--e.g. sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and sycamore maple (A. pseudoplatanus).  Others are cultivated primarily as ornamentals for their showy autumn foliage and graceful habit, such as the numerous cultivars of Japanese maples (A. japonicum, A. palmatum).  Maples are also one of the most commonly cultivated street trees, especially the Norway maple (A. platanoides), red maple (A. rubrum), and silver maple (A. saccharinum).  Maple syrup comes from the sap of the sugar maple (A. saccharum).

 

 

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 Site created and maintained by Matthew Willmann and Melissa Luckow Cornell University, Ithaca, New York September 1998