How does our native sugar maple compare to Japanese maples?
A. The leaves of Japanese maples have distinct lobes, either five or seven, while sugar maple leaves look webbed, like a duck’s foot. Japanese maples are smaller, maxing-out at 30-feet compared to 75 for sugar maples. America’s quintessential fall color tree, the sugar maple, ranges from banana yellow to crimson red, often with a predominantly orange cast. While many Japanese maples are golden in fall, some of the most “electric” are true red or even purple. Q. What can I add to my alkaline soil to make it suitable for a Japanese maple? A. The Arboretum Plant Clinic recommends granular sulphur. At the Arboretum Find out why most people love oak trees, the most dominant tree group in North America, in “The Oaks of Illinois.” Author Guy Sternberg leads an entertaining discussion, 10 a.m. to noon, November 21. $30 (discount for members). Registration now open. Call (630) 719-2468. Laurie Casey is a staff writer at The Morton Arboretum.
