Majesty Sugar Maple

(Acer saccharum 'Majesty')

Date Planted: October 2000

Family: Aceraceae

Hardiness: Hardy in the Gorham, ME area; Zone 3-8

Mature Dimensions: 60-80 feet tall by 40-50 feet wide

Habit: Ovoid with an extremely thick branching structure

Bark: In youth, bark is gray and relatively smooth; with maturity, bark becomes deeply furrowed with long irregular ridges

Buds: Terminal buds clustered, ¼ inch in length and sharply pointed; axillary buds 1/8 inch. Fine brown hairs surround the buds' apex at the leaf scar

Leaves: Simple, opposite, 4-6 inches by 4-6 inches, 3-5 lobed with slightly coarsely toothed margins. Thick dark green leaves turn a brilliant red-orange in autumn

Flowers: Perfect, staminate or pistillate; bell shaped, ¼ inch wide, greenish yellow and borne on 1-3 inch long hairy pendulous stalks which appear before leafout

Fruit: 1-2 inch horseshoe-shaped samara with nearly parallel wings; mature in
September-October

Pests/Disease: Leaf scorch can be caused by excessive drought; gypsy moth

Reference: Dirr M.1998. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Stipes Publishing Co., Champaign IL.