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Scientific Name:Acer spp
Common Name(s): Maples
Edible: yes
Medicinal: yes
Parts Used: fruit, leaf
crashdive123 29 Aug, 2009
Widespread, familiar trees with dry, double-winged fruit, "keys". One or more species found throughout. The leaves of some Viburnums are similar to those of the maples, but are either dony-hairy or have tiny glands on the stalks
Current Rating: 0.0000
crashdive123 29 Aug, 2009
Use: Syrup, sugar, water. To obtain sap, bore a 1/2 inch hole 2-3 inches into the trunk of the tree, lanting upwards. Insert a spile, or spigot, into the hole, sharp end first. Boil the sap slowly to make syrup - as much as 30-40 gallons of sap is needed to produce 1 gallon of syrup; further boiling produces sugar. As the syrup gets thicker, be sure not to let it boil over or burn. Syrup is ready to pour off when a candy thermometer reads 7 degrees F higher - 219 degrees F at sea level - than the temperature at which the sap first boiled; 22 degrees F higher for sugar - 234 degrees F at sea level.
Current Rating: 0.0000
crashdive123 29 Aug, 2009
The watery sap is quite pure and can be used as drinking or cooking water in areas where the water supply may be contaminated. Trees should be tapped in early spring (late January to early April) when things begin to thaw but before the leaves appear; warm, sunny days after cold nights are the best times to tap. Although the sugar content varies from species to species, and even tree to tree, all maples produce excellent syrup.
Current Rating: 0.0000
crashdive123 29 Aug, 2009
Red Maple, A. rubrum. A mid sized tree. Young bark smooth, gra; older bark scaly, darker. Leaves 2-8 inches long; 3 to 5 lobed with fairly shallow notches between lobes; terminal lobe broad at base/ Leaves whitened beneath. Twigs, buds, and fruit reddish. Height 20-40 feet; dameter 1-2 feet. Where found: Wet woods. SE Manitoba to Newfoundland, south to E Texas and Florida. Fruit: May to July
Current Rating: 0.0000
crashdive123 29 Aug, 2009
Sugar Maple, A. saccharum. A tall tree with bark on older trees dark brown and deeply furrowed. Leaves usually 5-lobed; hairless above, light green beneath; 2-10 inches long. Margins of leaves not curling down. Twigs glossy, reddish broun, with slender buds. Height 40-60 feet; diameter 1-3 feet. Where found: Rich moist soil; upland forests. SW Manitoba to Newfoundland, south to ?E Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and N. Georgia. Fruit: June-September
Current Rating: 0.0000
crashdive123 29 Aug, 2009
Sugar Maple - Medicinal uses: American Indians used inner bark in tea for coughs, diarrhea; diuretic, expectoran, "blood purifier". Maple syrup said to be a liver tonic and kidney cleanser, and used in cough syrups.