Native Indiana Tree of the Week: Black Maple (Acer nigrum)

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Following the moist milder Sangamon interglacial between the Illinoian & Wisconsin glaciation, several interesting things happened with Sugar Maple. A once broader range was covered in glacial ice, pushing the species to refugiums south of our region in the overall drier climate (as so much water was wrapped up in glacial ice). It is here, some 1-2 million years ago that the Sugar Maple began to branch off in the Southeast as populations reached northern Florida. As the climate warmed & ice receded, Sugar Maple moved back northward with time to reclaim its original holdings. Amidst that, Chalk, Florida & Bigtooth Maple split as separate species from Sugar Maple as populations became cut off like an ocean tide receding & small tidal pools remaining in the South & Southwest. A more prairie region-adapted Sugar Maple type emerged as a stretch of warm, drier prairie climate developed. It was likely during the Xerothermic (the “Prairie Period”) some 5000-8000 years ago to the Roman & Medieval Warm Periods that Black Maple species finally completely branched off from Sugar Maple, being more drought- & heat-tolerant, a calciphile & complete with hairy leaf stems, leaf undersides, larger, thicker, leathery, dark green leaves & American Sycamore-like leaf clasps or stipules. Still brilliant in Fall color, but more yellow & orange than the bright deep oranges, reds & pinks of Sugar Maple, its range tended to split & be distinct from the forest-loving, more neutral to acid soil-loving Sugar Maple.

Today, we see the Black Maple intergrade with Sugar Maple in Indiana, Ohio to Kentucky, being found on more calcareous soils with higher soil pH & more in floodplains & lower woods than Sugar Maple. It seems to be found closer or within overall prairie, barrens areas or in forest pockets surrounded or near former prairies. It’s range actually matches the Prairie Peninsula well (arm of discontinuous tallgrass prairie, savanna & barrens from Iowa to Ohio & far western Pennsylvania to southwestern Ontario) & also corresponds well with Shingle Oak. However, Shingle Oak is much more common on the southern side of the Prairie Peninsula reaching its peak dominance from northern Missouri to southern Illinois & southwestern Indiana where it prefers slightly acid soils over Illinoian glacial till. I have found that Black Maple species occurs often at very sharp edges or cut-offs between prairie & barrens & beech-maple-bassword forest on the Tipton Till Plain.

Black Maple’s range goes as far west as northeastern Kansas to southeastern South Dakota & has been found to do well in Nebraska. It is a big tree like Sugar Maple with wide canopy in the open & heights of up to 100’.