In a 1797 essay entilted Advantages of the Culture of the Sugar Maple Tree, Dr. These men and others called on people to make and purchase maple sugar to “lessen or destroy the consumption West Indian sugar, and thus indirectly to destroy negro slavery” (Stanton 1990). Benjamin Rush, Thomas Jefferson, Eastman Johnson, and William Cooper. The abundance of sugar maple trees in parts of North America and their absence in other parts made maple food products a valuable commodity for tribes such as the Chippewa in intertribal commerce.Īmerican Abolitionists followed the writings of Dr. The Potawatomi made a taffy-like candy for the children by pouring the hot syrup onto the snow, and the Iroquois used the dried, processed bark as an ingredient used in bread and cake (Moerman 1998). The abovementioned tribes, as well as the Menominee and Meskwaki, used maple sugar as a seasoning for meat, much like salt is today. Ojibwa and Potawatomi enjoyed sugar maple sap directly from the tree but also allowed it to sour into a vinegar-like seasoning for cooking venison and other meats. The Iroquois mixed maple sap with thimbleberries and water into a fermented beverage. Tribes including, the Algonquin, Cherokee, Dakota, Iroquois, Malecite, Menominee, Meskwaki, Micmac, Mohegan, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi all processed the sap into syrup or sugar. It is a frequent or common tree on the lower slopes of the spurs of the ‹knobs.’” (Deam 1953)īucket used for collecting maple sap at Bray Homestead Park - Hamilton County It is absent in the ‘flats’ of the southeastern part of the state and on the crests of the rides of the ‘knob’ area of Indiana. Throughout our area, it is usually associated with beech. It is confined to rich uplands or along streams in well-drained alluvial soil. Deam wrote that sugar maple is “a frequent to common tree in all parts of Indiana. In Indiana, they are native and present in every county. Sugar maples are native to most of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada extending southward to portions of Tennessee and westward to Kansas. schneckii, a southern variety that is also present in parts of Indiana, is characterized by having lighter colored bark and pubescent petioles. Deam referred to this variety by the now obsolete synonym of Acer saccharum f. In Trees of Indiana, Indiana State Forester Charles C. saccharum, the type variety, is common and widespread. Subspecies, Varieties, and Forms: Botanists have described numerous variations, but currently, ITIS recognizes only two varieties: Where their ranges overlap, the two species form naturally occurring hybrids. Recent genetic studies suggest that only geographical range and not morphology are useful for separating the two species (Skepner and Krane 1998). Hybrids: Sugar maple is so closely related to black maple, that many taxonomists have considered A. The classifications represented on this page reflect the contemporary taxonomic placement by the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). nigrum) and their variations have been a contested taxonomic debate for many decades. The taxonomic placement of sugar maple ( Acer saccharum), black maple ( A. Compared to sugar maple, Norway maple lacks the plated bark on mature trees, has flowers that are lighter green and physiologically dissimilar, and has leaves with rounded tips that excrete a milk-like sap when broken. The exotic Norway maple ( Acer platanoides) also resembles sugar maple. Look for the following features in sugar maple: 5-lobed leaves that are relatively flat and glabrous, petioles that are glabrous and lack stipules, somewhat lighter-colored twigs. Separating the two species can be challenging. The closest genetic relative is black maple ( Acer nigrum), which some taxonomists consider a subspecies of saccharum. Similar Species: In Indiana, sugar maple ( Acer saccharum) is one of five widespread maple trees with palmately-lobed, simple leaves. Leaves with pointed tips, usually 5-lobed.Key Characteristics: When identifying sugar maple, look for the following characteristics: Sugar maples attain maximum height at 125–150 years. Growth is rapid for the first 35–40 years and slows afterward. In optimum conditions, individuals may live up to 250–300 years. Life Expectancy: Sugar maple trees are long-lived.
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