Friends of Belfast Botanic Gardens

Tree of the month series - this series of short articles about trees in the Belfast Botanic Gardens is compiled by members of the Friends group and Gardens staff. The series will gradually build up to a comprehensive archive of information about the trees in Belfast Botanic gardens. Each article will illustrate the tree in Belfast together with information from a range of sources elsewhere. Click here for the rest of the trees

Tree of the Month, June 2008

Sugar maple - Acer saccharum

by Jonathan Pilcher

The tree that produces maple syrup! It is a native of North America and quite commonly grown in the British Isles. The sugar maple makes a tidy small tree. There are two attractive examples in Belfast Botanic Gardens either side of the path from the Embankment gate to the Tropical ravine.

Sugar maples in winter and spring in Belfast Botanic gardens	Sugar maple leaves
Sugar maple flower with red stigmas emerging from the bud	Young developing winged seeds of sugar maple

Photos taken in 2008 in Belfast Botanic Gardens. Copyright Jon Pilcher