Virginia State Tree name

Sugar-maple Aceraceae Acer saccharum

Leaf: contrary, simple and palmately veined, 3 to 6 inches long, 5 lobed with entire margin; green overhead, paler below.

Flower: Yellow to green, little, clustered, hanging from an extended (1 to 3 inches) stem, showing up with the leaves.

Fruit: Two-winged horseshoe-shaped samaras about 1 inch long, appearing in groups, brown whenever mature in Autumn.

Twig: Brown, thin and shiny with less heavy lenticels, terminal buds brown and incredibly sharp-pointed.

Bark: adjustable, but usually grayish-brown, on older woods is furrowed, with lengthy, dense unusual curling outward ridges.

Type: moderate to tall tree (to 100 feet) with extremely heavy elliptical crown.

Copyright 2003, Virginia Tech Forestry division, all liberties set aside.
Images courtesy: Michael Aust, John Baitey, Ctaude L. Brown, Bruce Bongarten,
Susan D. Day, Edward C. Jensen, Richard E. Kreh, Larry H. McCormick, Alex X.
Niemiera, John A. Peterson, Oana Popescu, John R. Seiter, David W. Smith, Kim
C. Steiner, James E. Ward, Rodney E. Will Likely, Shepard M. Zedaker.