black maple
Acer nigrum
USDA zones5 to 7
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles moderate to moist soil
Sizeup to 100 feet tall
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Bloom color
- Yellow , green
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Loam, chalk
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Black maple (Acer nigrum) is a tree for shade gardens and pollinator gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 5, or down to -20°F (-29°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and average to moist, loamy or chalky soil. Small yellow and green flowers open from early to late spring and attract bees and birds. In the forest it grows a straight central trunk, but in the open its branches spread wide. The fall leaves turn yellow to orange-red.
Pairs well with Virginia creeper, Goldenseal, Japanese forest grass, and Smooth hydrangea.
Native range
AL, AR, CT, DC, and 25 more places. See all 29
AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SD, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV; ON, and QC.