The sugar maple is one of 148 species of maples. The sugar maple grows about one foot in height and a quarter-inch in diameter annually. Growth stops when the tree is 140-150 years old. Some trees estimated at being 400 years old have reached heights over 100 feet. Sugar maples tolerate shade better than most maples. Small greenish-yellow flowers bloom in clusters in early spring; trees have both male and female flowers. In fall, leaves turn an array of colors from yellow and orange to red.
Leaves are simple, with three to five lobes; they are dark green on top, pale on the underneath, and measure three to five inches long. Calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen from leaf litter significantly influence soil nutrients and pH. Disease organisms, as well as foliage and stem diseases that often appear as canker sores, plague sugar maples. The roots, however, generally remain disease-free. A serious insect infestation, though not common, can cause a decline in growth or be fatal to the sugar maple. Most insect-related problems involve the leaves of the tree.