Gary W. Graham, Ohio State University Extension, Northeast District; James A. Chatfield, Ohio State University Extension, Northeast District and Department of Horticulture and Crop Science; Kenneth D. Cochran, Secrest Arboretum of The Ohio State University Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, Ohio.
"I drove to Westernbirt, the arboretum
in Gloustershire, one misty morning in October, 1994. The parkland was full of parked cars.
'Is there a pop concert or car rally?' I asked
with dismay, 'No. They've come like you to see
the maples.'"
—Thomas Parkenham, from Meetings with Remarkable Trees
As at Westonbirt in England, we invite you to come see the maples at Secrest Arboretum at The Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center campus in Wooster, Ohio. Make a trek through the entire Arboretum, of course, but pay special attention this spring and in the future to the Secrest Maple Trail, and ask for a copy of the brochure for this self-guided trail.
Maples are in the genus Acer in the Aceraceae family, which includes only the genera Acer (with up to 200 species) and the rarely planted Chinese native Dipteronia (two species). All members of the Aceraceae are woody. Both genera are characterized by two-winged dry fruits known as samaras and leaves with opposite arrangement on the stem. All maples are native to the Northern Hemisphere, except for one species in the mountains of Java. Most maples have simple leaves, with the exception of several trifoliate species and box elder (Acer negundo). Many, but not all, maples have palm-like leaves, but some, such as Acer carpinifolium, noticeably do not.
Maples are widely used both for their wood and other plant products and as ornamental plants. The wood has long been used by man, as suggested by Virgil's account in the Aeneid, in which maple is described as being one of the woods used in the Trojan Horse. Today it is used widely in floors and walls of buildings, in bowling alleys and gymnasium floors, and as D. M. Gelderen et al. note in Maples of the World, the sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) "provides the most famous and distinguished use of maple wood the back, sidewalls, and pegs of violins."
We all know of the wondrous qualities of maple sap from sugar maple (Acer saccharum) as the source of maple syrup, and several maples are amongst the best-known sources of honey (hedge maple, Acer campestre, and sycamore maple).
As ornamental plants, maples provide much to landscapes, street tree plantings, and other sites. They have the structural features to be outstanding shade trees; they are among the most spectacular of all trees for their fall foliage; and on some maples, twig color, exfoliating bark, flowers, and fruits are quite ornamental.
Among the maples are a diverse group of plants tolerant of a wide range of soil moisture, soil pH, and light tolerance. Sizes range from small shrub-like trees to towering giants, and shapes from pencil-like uprights to wide spreading shade trees.
At Secrest Arboretum on the campus of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, there is a diverse collection of maples. The Arboretum and OARDC have long been involved in maple evaluations in the internationally renowned Shade Tree Evaluation Plot and in other Arboretum plantings, as well as Howard Kribel's forestry research plots of "Super-Sweet" sugar maples.
Let's take a tour of the maples of Secrest Arboretum, starting with a few of the maples found at Secrest which are described here.