Red Maple

About Red Maple in Alberta

Red Maple is an eastern North American maple that is introduced in Alberta and best treated as a selectively successful ornamental tree rather than a native species or fully reliable prairie default. Alberta evidence supports real planted use and cultivar testing, but also shows uneven prairie performance and winter-damage risk in some cultivars. For ARA, mature red maples in Alberta are notable mainly as sheltered ornamental survivors, cultivar-history records, or examples of successful non-native maple planting in campuses, cemeteries, parks, institutions, or protected residential landscapes.

Identification: Leaves are opposite, simple, and usually 3 to 5 lobed. Margins are serrate or irregularly toothed, with shallower sinuses than silver maple. The underside is paler or whitish, giving contrast in moving foliage.

Alberta range and habitat: Red Maple is not native to Alberta and no naturalized Alberta population was established. Alberta records should be treated as planted.