So, I moved in June 2021 to Dietrich Idaho. The house I moved to has a maple tree. I've been meaning to ask for an ID for a while, but I never got around to doing it.

Today, I was tapping the tree and getting some sap for maple syrup. After boiling the sap down to 1/4 what it originally was, it was incredibly sweet. Not thick, but still incredibly sweet.

I suspect this is either a Norway Maple or a sugar maple. Can someone please give me an ID? Pictures of the leaves, the trunk, and the tree itself are attached. If you need more pictures, I'll get them.

Jared

There are other possibilities.
Hard to be positive from old brown, shriveled leaves.

Check this link..shows winter buds etc.
https://landscapeplants.oregon...

pics below ..Norway Maple with sharp points.

Hi Jared:

The leaves you provided do not remind me of Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) either. They look more like Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), but like Silversurfer I wouldn't put my ID cred on the line based on them.

Your tree's trunk/bark character and conformation do not remind of either species mentioned.

Please prune off a young branch (maybe 24 -36" length) with dormant buds on it, and take good clear closeup pictures of it and real clear pictures showing the buds up close. Maple buds are great features for separating species and IDing these great trees in winter.

If you wait for flowers, that would help too.

Cos this bounced to the top I had a 2nd look.
From that pic I cannot see any branches that are opposite to each other.
I cannot even tell if that tree is an Acer...common name maple....or whether the leaves come from the nearby tree?

A close up pic to show the branches in winter would help to decide.
https://www.google.com/search?...

Are there other trees that yield sugary sap?

porkpal said: Are there other trees that yield sugary sap?

Yes:

https://wildfoodism.com/2014/0...

But the leaves in the ID plant certainly look like maple even though the tree doesn't.

I'm patient, but I think this may be your species.

Terrific! What is it?

Hang on, let me get some updated pictures. Apologies for the delayed response, I've had a lot of things crop up.

Here are some updated pictures.







I know it's an acer, I saw the seeds when I first moved in.

If more photos are needed, I'll get them.

Jared

porkpal said: Terrific! What is it?

He doesn't know and was hoping we did.

You can post as many pictures as you can take. Show us more.

When you collect a branch, go ahead and photo the entire thing, and then do the closeups of various parts. It also helps sometimes to include something for scale in the image, like a coin or another common item which is recognizable.

Those buds really look like Acer platanoides to me. Norway Maple buds are fat, usually greenish/purplish in winter, and have the large bud scales as seen in your photo.

Use a white background on the next go-round, too, so that the plant's colors are more prominent.

The big old tree (now gone, due to inconsiderate airport management) was a fine Acer rubrum - which I provided for comparison to bark characteristics and habit.

If you wait around for the next flowering/fruiting period, you'll see the distinctive pairs of samaras - which is ANOTHER great way to separate different species of maple. The size of the seed and the angle between the two ends of the pair can be definitive.

Acer rubrum


Acer griseum


Acer henryi


Acer nipponicum


Acer triflorum


Acer truncatum ssp. mono


Acer truncatum '76150SD'


Acer truncatum 'XPL Red Leaf'

ViburnumValley said: You can post as many pictures as you can take. Show us more.

When you collect a branch, go ahead and photo the entire thing, and then do the closeups of various parts. It also helps sometimes to include something for scale in the image, like a coin or another common item which is recognizable.

Those buds really look like Acer platanoides to me. Norway Maple buds are fat, usually greenish/purplish in winter, and have the large bud scales as seen in your photo.

Use a white background on the next go-round, too, so that the plant's colors are more prominent.

The big old tree (now gone, due to inconsiderate airport management) was a fine Acer rubrum - which I provided for comparison to bark characteristics and habit.

If you wait around for the next flowering/fruiting period, you'll see the distinctive pairs of samaras - which is ANOTHER great way to separate different species of maple. The size of the seed and the angle between the two ends of the pair can be definitive.

Thanks for pointing out the error I made. I will get better pictures soon. Not right now, I'm a little busy at the moment.

Not error, per se. Just first tries - so opportunities to try again are imminent.

We will be here...

John, what is the species in photo #4?

Hi porkpal:

I went ahead and titled each image in my post above.

Photo #4 depicts Acer nipponicum (Nippon Maple) just as its minute flowers are being pollinated and beginning to form seeds. This plant grows at the U. S. National Arboretum, and the picture was taken in mid May 2012.

I had the good fortune to be able to visit the USNA almost every spring from 2008 - 2017 while serving as state chapter president and then trustee for the American Society of Landscape Architects, because the midterm meetings were held in Washington DC at the ASLA headquarters. It is an incredible well-curated collection of both native and introduced species, and the cornerstone of a tremendous amount of plant research. Many great selections were evaluated and introduced by USNA. A tour around their website is a treasure in itself.

On this particular USNA visit, I met up with fellow NGA members from the Mid Atlantic Gardening group; perhaps @sallyg recalls that stroll around the grounds.