Norway, Red & Sugar Maples Compared

Size

• All three of the trees are medium to large in size and can reach heights of 90-to-100 feet or more. Red maples are more typically between 40 and 70 feet tall, and sugar maples are generally between 70 and 90 feet tall. All three species form broad, round crowns as they mature, and sugar maples may branch low to the ground and spread up to 80 feet wide if given enough space.

Leaves

• Both Norway and sugar maples have broad, lobed leaves. Sugar maple leaves usually have five lobes, but some trees may have leaves with fewer lobes; Norway maple leaves typically have more lobes than a sugar maple and are wider than they are long. Red maple leaves are also lobed, but the edges of the lobes are serrated rather than smooth, as they are on sugar maple and Norway maple leaves. The junctions of the lobes of red maple leaves are sharp and V-shaped; the junctions of sugar and Norway maple leaves are rounded and U-shaped.

Habitat

• All three of these maple species tolerate a wide range of soil types, but they grow best in moist, well-drained soil. The Norway maple in particular is tolerant of compacted soil, pollution and otherwise adverse growing conditions, and because of this it was widely planted as a street tree after its introduction to North America from Europe in the 18th century. The red maple grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 to 9, the Norway maple in USDA zones 3 to 7, and the sugar maple in USDA zones 3 to 8.

Uses

• Because of their size, attractive fall foliage and adaptability, all of these maple species are commonly used in street plantings and as landscape specimens. The sugar maple has also long been used as a source of timber, and its sap is the primary source of maple syrup. The Norway maple is relatively fast-growing, and it produces large numbers of seeds, allowing it to spread widely and crowd out native species; it is considered an invasive species throughout much of its habitat in North America.