Trees of Indiana: First Revised Edition (Publication No. 13, Department of Conservation, State of Indiana)Deam, Charles Clemon
Science
Trees of Indiana: First Revised Edition (Publication No. 13, Department of Conservation, State of Indiana)
Deam, Charles Clemon
Trees -- Indiana
=Remarks.=--The under surface of the leaves of the sugar maple in the
northern part of its range are green, while those of the southern part
of its range are quite glaucous beneath. To distinguish these two
intergrading forms the southern form has been called =Acer saccharum=
var. =glaucum= Sargent[61]. All of the trees seen in Indiana have leaves
more or less glaucous beneath. This character, however, is not always
evident in dried specimens. The writer prefers not to apply the varietal
name to the forms of our area. The sugar maple always has been and will
continue to be one of the most important trees of the State. In its mass
distribution in Indiana it ranks not less than third. In the quality and
uses of its wood it is equalled or exceeded only by the oak, ash and
hickory. When compared with white oak it is a little lighter but thirty
per cent stronger and fifty-three per cent stiffer. The greatest amount
of the annual cut of maple is worked into flooring which is shipped to
all parts of the world. It is much used in the manufacture of furniture
and ranks third in use for veneer and hard wood distillation, and as a
fuel wood is excelled only by hickory. Since pioneer times, the sap of
this tree has been made into sirup and sugar and their manufacture now
forms a valuable industry. On an average it takes 3 to 4 gallons of sap
to make a pound of sugar, and an average sized tree will annually yield
about 3 to 4 pounds of sugar.
[Illustration: Plate 115.
ACER SACCHARUM Marshall. Sugar Maple. (× 1/2.)]
The sugar maple on account of its slow growth has not been used much in
reforestation. It is very tolerant of shade, can adapt itself to almost
all kinds of soils, thrives either in a pure or mixed stand, and is
practically free from injury of insects and diseases. It has, however,
been extensively used as a shade tree. For this purpose it is scarcely
excelled by any other tree. When grown in the open it almost invariably
assumes a symmetrical oval form, and the autumnal coloration of its
foliage is rarely surpassed by any of our trees. Where a large tree is
desired for street or ornamental planting the sugar maple can safely be
recommended.
=5a. Acer saccharum= variety =Rugélii= (Pax) Rehder. This variety of the
sugar maple has leaves much wider than long, smaller and 3-lobed. The
lobes are long acuminate and usually entire, sometimes the lower lobe
has a small lobe near the base. This variety is included in our flora on
the authority of C. S. Sargent who has given this name to specimens from
Indiana in the writer's herbarium. The specimens so named are from the
southern part of the State. While there is a wide range of difference in
the shape of the leaves of the typical 5-lobed _Acer saccharum_ and its
variety _Rugelii_, all intermediate forms can be easily found. The
leaves of a tree will vary most on those trees whose average shaped
leaves are farthest from the typical form.
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