![]() It was also used as a blood purifier and dermatological aid. For example, the Iroquois used maple sap for sore eyes and a compound infusion of the bark as drops for blindness. Native American tribes also used the Sugar Maple for medicinal purposes. The Ojibwa used the wood to make bowls and other cooking tools. The Malecite used the wood to make paddles, torch handles, and oars. Cherokee used the wood for lumber and to make furniture. The Potawatomi used maple sugar instead of salt to season all cooking. ![]() The Ojibwa allowed the sap to sour to make vinegar, which was mixed with maple sugar to cook sweet and sour meat. The Micmac also used the bark to make a beverage. Native American tribes – including the Algonquin, Cherokee, Dakota, and Iroquois – used maple sap to make syrup and sugar. Historical Uses of the Sugar Maple: The Sugar Maple was the premier source of sweetener, along with honey, for both Native Americans and early European settlers. Some sources attribute the declining vigor of Sugar Maples in some areas to acid rain. The tree does not like the warmer temperatures and has already started to disappear in central and southern New York State. ![]() Sugar Maples have been affected by climate change. The buds are brown and sharp the buds are slender and pointed down. The twigs of the Sugar Maple are glossy and reddish brown. The seeds are the familiar “helicopters.” The seeds are green, turning reddish tan the seeds drop in late summer. In the Adirondack Mountains, this tree usually flowers in May. The Sugar Maple flowers in mid- to late-spring, producing tiny greenish yellow flowers with five sepals. Sugar Maple bark is gray – smooth when the tree is young and scaly when the tree gets older. Sugar Maple on the Barnum Brook Trail at the Paul Smiths VIC (28 July 2012) A large, single-trunked maple tree growing near a marsh or other wetland is more likely to be a Red Maple. Red Maple trees are more tolerant of wet soil. ![]() Habitat is another clue distinguishing the Sugar Maple from the Red Maple.This growth habit contrasts with that of the Striped Maple (which is a small tree or large shrub, often divided into several branches from near the base) and the Mountain Maple (which usually grows as a bushy shrub). The mature Sugar Maple is a large tree, growing 50-70 feet tall, with a straight, single trunk, many ascending branches, and a symmetrical oval head.Sugar Maple bark lacks the distinctive narrow, white vertical strips of the Striped Maple. The bark of the Sugar Maple is smooth and gray when the tree is young, becoming irregularly furrowed, scaly, and dark gray on older trees.The leaves of the Sugar Maple also differ from those of the Striped Maple (which are uniformly and finely double-toothed) and the Mountain Maple (which are coarsely toothed).Also, the dips between the lobes of the Sugar Maple are u-shaped, while the indentations between the lobes of the Red Maple are pointy, forming a sharp "v." However, the leaves of the Sugar Maple lack the irregularly and usually double-toothed margins of the Red Maple. Both Sugar Maple and Red Maple leaves may have five lobes.Keys to identifying the Sugar Maple and differentiating it from other maples include its leaves, bark, growth habit and habitat. The leaves turn red, yellow, or orange in autumn, contributing to the brilliant palette of colors seen in September and early October in the Adirondacks. The upper surface is green in the summer the lower surface is pale green to whitish. There is a moderately deep U-shaped notch between the lobes. Each of the largest three lobes has one to several sharp-pointed tips. The leaves of the Sugar Maple usually have five squarish, shallow lobes. Like other maples, Sugar Maples have opposite, lobed leaves. Sugar Maple at the Paul Smiths VIC (19 September 2012) Sugar Maple leaves turn red, yellow, or orange
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