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SUGAR MAPLE (Acer saccharum)

Distinguishing characters: The bud is sharp-pointed, scaly, and reddish-brown.
Maple Bud
Leaf: Has sharp points and round sinus.
Maple Tree Leaf
Form and size: The crown is oval when the tree is young and round in old age.
Maple Tree Form
Range: Eastern United States.
Range of the Sugar Maple
Soil and location: Moist and deep soil, and cool, shady positions.

Enemies: Subject to drought, especially in cities. Is attacked by the sugar maple borer and the maple phenacoccus, a sucking insect.
Rosy Maple Moth Caterpillars Eat the Leaves
Value for planting: Its rich and yellow color in the fall, and the fine spread of its crown make it a desirable tree for the lawn, especially in the country.
Autumn Maple Leaves
Commercial value: Its wood is hard and takes a good polish; used for interior finish and furniture. The tree is also the source of maple sugar.
Collecting Maple Sap for Syrup
Other characters: The bark is smooth in young trees and in old trees it shags in large plates. The flowers appear in the early part of April.

Other common names: The sugar maple is sometimes called rock maple or hard maple.



SILVER MAPLE (Acer saccharinum)

Distinguishing characters: The tips of the twigs curve upwards, the bark is scaly, and the leaves are very deeply cleft and are silvery on the underside.
Silver Maple Tree
Leaf: Deeply cleft and silvery underside.
Silver Maple Tree Leaf
Form and size: A large tree with the main branches separating from the trunk a few feet from the ground. The terminal twigs are long, slender, and drooping.

Range: Eastern United States.
Range of the Silver Maple
Soil and location: Moist places.

Enemies: The leopard moth, a wood-boring insect, and the cottony-maple scale, a sucking insect.
Leopard Moth
Value for planting: Grows too rapidly and is too short-lived to be durable.

Commercial value: Its wood is soft, weak, and little used.
Maple Seed
Other characters: The bark is light gray, smooth at first and scaly later on. The scales are free at each end and attached in the center. The flowers appear before the leaves in the latter part of March or early April.

Other common names: The silver maple is sometimes known as soft maple or white maple.



RED MAPLE (Acer rubrum)

Distinguishing characters: The bark is smooth and light gray, like that of the beech, on the upper branches in older trees, and in young trees over the whole trunk. The buds are in clusters, and the terminal twigs are quite red.

Leaf: Whitish underneath with three-pointed lobes.
Red Maple Tree Leaf
Form and size: A medium-sized tree with a narrow, round head.

Range: Eastern North America.
Range of the Red Maple
Soil and location: Prefers moist places.

Enemies: Leaf blotches (Rhytisma acerinum) which, however, are not very injurious.

Value for planting: Suitable as a shade tree for suburban streets. Its rich red leaves in the fall make it attractive for the lawn.
The Lovely Red Maple
Commercial value: Its wood is heavy, close-grained, and takes a good polish. Used for furniture and fuel.
Red Maple Sap Makes Syrup
Other characters: The bud is small, round, and red. The flowers appear before the leaves are out in the early part of April.

Other common names: The red maple is sometimes known as swamp maple.

Directions

Study the lesson for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read the lesson.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Recite aloud the vocabulary words and their definitions.
  • Learn the concepts.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Study the review questions.

Synopsis

This lesson covers the sugar maple, the silver maple, and the red maple trees. The silver maple has a silvery underside to its leaves. The red maple has red terminal twigs and buds. The scientific (Latinized) name of the sugar maple is Acer saccharum, the silver maple is Acer saccharinum, and the red maple is Acer rubrum. Note that the three trees are in the same genus (Acer) but are different species (Acer saccharum, Acer saccharinum, and Acer rubrum). The sugary sap of the sugar maple and the red maple can be made into delicious maple syrup for pancakes and other sweet culinary delights.

Vocabulary

Sinus: A notch or depression between two lobes or teeth.
Crown: The top part of the tree, including the branches off the main trunk and the leaves.
Maple Sugar: A type of sugar made by boiling the sap of the sugar maple.
Lobe: Any projection or division of a leaf, especially one of a somewhat rounded form.
Woodgrain (grain): The surface texture and coloring of a cut surface of wood.
Bud: A newly sprouted leaf or blossom that has not yet unfolded.

Concepts

TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

'Genus' and 'species' are categories within a larger taxonomic hierarchical classification system.

  1. The system ranges from the highest ranking or broadest classification (domain) to the lowest ranking or most specific classification (species).
  2. Another way to think about it is a domain contains one or more kingdoms, a kingdom contains one or more phyla, each phylum contains one or more classes, etc..

Study the taxonomic classification diagram, arranged from broadest classification (domain) to the most specific classification (species).

  1. Recite the classifications in order from broadest (domain) to most specific (species).
  2. Recite the classifications in order from most specific (species) to broadest (domain).

On the diagram, each classification encompasses all of the classifications beneath them. So all members of the same species share the same genus, family, order, class, phylum, kingdom, and domain.

  1. Which classifications do members of the same family all share? (Answer: Order, Class, Phylum, Kingdom, Domain)
  2. Which classifications do members of the same kingdom all share?
  3. Which classifications do members of the same class share?
  4. Which classifications do members of the same phylum all share?

Study the taxonomic classification diagram, which classifies the Red fox (Scientific name Vulpes vulpes) as an example.

  1. What is the order of Vulpes vulpes?
  2. What is the species (two-part name) of Vulpes vulpes?
  3. What is the domain of Vulpes vulpes?
  4. What is the genus of Vulpes vulpes?
  5. What is the family of Vulpes vulpes?
  6. What is the phylum of Vulpes vulpes?
  7. What is the kingdom of Vulpes vulpes?
  8. What is the class of Vulpes vulpes?
  9. What is the binomial name of the red fox?
  10. What is the common name of Vulpes vulpes?

To recall the classifications in order, memorize the phrase: Dear King Philip cried out, 'For goodness sake!'

  1. Dear: Domain
  2. King: Kingdom
  3. Philip: Phylum
  4. Cried: Class
  5. Out: Order
  6. For: Family
  7. Goodness: Genus
  8. Sake: Species

Enrichment

Activity 1: Narrate the Lesson

  • After reading or listening to the lesson, narrate the lesson aloud using your own words.

Activity 2: Study the Lesson Pictures

  • Study the lesson pictures and describe how they relate to the lesson.

Activity 3: Identify Taxonomic Classifications

Study the classification diagram to answer the questions.

  • What is the order of Acer saccharum?
  • What is the species (two-part name) of Acer saccharum?
  • What is the domain of Acer saccharum?
  • What is the genus of Acer saccharum?
  • What is the family of Acer saccharum?
  • What is the phylum of Acer saccharum?
  • What is the kingdom of Acer saccharum?
  • What is the class of Acer saccharum?
  • What is the binomial name of the sugar maple?
  • What is the common name of Acer saccharum?

Activity 4: Take a Nature Walk

  • Bring a small sketchbook and a specimen collection bag and embark on a nature walk.
  • Find a maple tree by its distinctive leaves.
  • Study and sketch the appearance and habitat of the tree.
  • Collect one or more maple leaves from the tree as specimens.
  • Use the gathered specimens and sketches to create the field book entry.

Activity 5: Complete a Field Book Entry   

After your nature walk, complete pages 13-14 in 'Science Field Book for Fourth Grade.'

Review

Question 1

What can you say about the relationship between Acer saccharum, Acer saccharinum, and Acer rubrum, knowing only their binomial names?
1 / 6

Answer 1

You can say they are all in the same genus, but are different species.
1 / 6

Question 2

Which delicious products are made from the sap of Acer saccharum and Acer rubrum?
2 / 6

Answer 2

Maple syrup and maple sugar are made from the sap of Acer saccharum and Acer rubrum.
2 / 6

Question 3

What does Dear King Philip cried out, 'For goodness sake!' signify?
3 / 6

Answer 3

The first letters of the words of this phrase stand for the classifications of living organisms.
3 / 6

Question 4

List the classification groups from largest to smallest.
4 / 6

Answer 4

Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.
4 / 6

Question 5

List the classification groups from smallest to largest.
5 / 6

Answer 5

Species, Genus, Family, Order, Class, Phylum, Kingdom, Domain.
5 / 6

Question 6

What can you say about the relationship between Acer saccharum, Acer saccharinum, and Acer rubrum, given only their scientific names?
6 / 6

Answer 6

You can say they are all in the same genus, but are different species.
6 / 6

  1. What can you say about the relationship between Acer saccharum, Acer saccharinum, and Acer rubrum, knowing only their binomial names? You can say they are all in the same genus, but are different species.
  2. Which delicious products are made from the sap of Acer saccharum and Acer rubrum? Maple syrup and maple sugar are made from the sap of Acer saccharum and Acer rubrum.
  3. What does Dear King Philip cried out, 'For goodness sake!' signify? The first letters of the words of this phrase stand for the classifications of living organisms.
  4. List the classification groups from largest to smallest. Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.
  5. List the classification groups from smallest to largest. Species, Genus, Family, Order, Class, Phylum, Kingdom, Domain.
  6. What can you say about the relationship between Acer saccharum, Acer saccharinum, and Acer rubrum, given only their scientific names? You can say they are all in the same genus, but are different species.

References

  1. 'Studies of Trees' by Jacob Joshua Levison. gutenberg.org/ebooks/16116. n.p.
  2. 'Taxonomic Rank Graph by Annina Breen (CC BY-SA 4.0).' Wikipedia. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Taxonomic_Rank_Graph.svg. n.p.
  3. 'Acer saccharinum Tree by Darkone(CC BY-SA 2.5)' Wikimedia Commons. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Silber-Ahorn_(Acer_saccharinum).jpg. n.p.

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