Plant, Tree & Shrub Library

Other Names:  Swamp Maple, Scarlet Maple

Description:

A very desirable cultivar of the red maple with a pronounced pyramidal form and reliable red fall color; distinctive form and rich colors make this a choice shade tree, ideal for larger landscapes; intolerant of alkaline soils

Ornamental Features

Red Sunset Red Maple is primarily valued in the landscape for its distinctively pyramidal habit of growth. It features showy clusters of red flowers along the branches in early spring before the leaves. It has green deciduous foliage which emerges red in spring. The lobed leaves turn an outstanding red in the fall. The furrowed silver bark and brick red branches add an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Red Sunset Red Maple is a deciduous tree with a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Red Sunset Red Maple is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade
• Vertical Accent

Planting & Growing

Red Sunset Red Maple will grow to be about 50 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 40 feet. It has a high canopy with a typical clearance of 7 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. As it matures, the lower branches of this tree can be strategically removed to create a high enough canopy to support unobstructed human traffic underneath. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 80 years or more.

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It is quite adaptable, prefering to grow in average to wet conditions, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species.