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The Red Maple is a medium to tall tree reaching 18 metres or more. In the forests of the Algonquin Highlands, it has a short, narrow crown, but when planted in the open it develops a narrow to broadly-rounded crown of dense, ascending branches. The simple, opposite leaves are shallowly 3 (rarely 5)-lobed and 5 to 15 cm long, with irregularly-toothed margins. The upper surface is light green, the lower surface very pale or whitish with hairs along the veins. The new growth and leaf stalks are often red and the fall color is variable from yellow to brilliant red or scarlet.
This species is one of the first to flower in spring (April to early May), producing flowers long before the leaves appear. These small, red flowers have 5 short petals and grow in clusters on young branchlets. The 2-winged fruit ripens a month after flowering, while the leaves are still small. The reddish-brown wings become brown as the seeds ripen and are then shed in early summer. Its bark is light gray, turning darker with shallow ridges and flat, scaly plates as it matures.
Red Maple grows equally well on dry to swamp land, and often invades recently cleared areas, but tends to prefer wetter places. Its wood is light brown, moderately heavy, strong and moderately soft. It is used for furniture, flooring, and cabinets. Pioneers made ink by adding sulfate of iron to the tannin extracted from the bark. Red Maple sap can be used to make maple syrup, although it contains less sugar than the Sugar Maple.
The seeds, buds and flowers are a food source for wildlife. Squirrels and Chipmunks eat the seeds; Deer and Hare eat the young shoots and leaves; and some birds use the Red Maple’s branches for nesting sites.
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