Maple, Trident

The Trident Maple is a deciduous Texas native. Red maples in general grow to be 40 – 75 feet tall with a spread of 30 – 60 feet. The leaves of trident maple are simple, opposite, and palmately lobed and veined. There are only three lobes that are short and serrate. Allthough this tree can exhibit consistent, beautiful fall color in many parts of the country, the widely variable autumn conditions in Texas produce unreliable results.

The red flowers appear before the leaves and are not showy. The fruit, a winged samara, is a brilliant red when young but turns tan to brown as it matures. The grayish bark is smooth when young, but forms long flat vertical plates when mature.

The Trident maple is considered a wetland plant in nature, native to swamps and lowlands, and preferring peaty, acidic soils. Because it is native to low-oxygen soils, it is tolerant of soil compaction, but does require moist soils, so is not drought tolerant.

This tree is very useful in stabilizing stream banks, and like other maples attracts songbirds and is used extensively by wildlife. Its bark, buds and fruit all serve as food. The maple’s leaves are used by birds for building nests.