Southern Sugar Maple
Acer floridanum
- Native to:
- Mexico, United States
Douglas Goldman
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Sapindaceae
- Genus:
- Acer
- Species:
- Acer floridanum
- USDA Symbol:
- ACFL
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Tree
- Height:
- 1500 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Part Shade
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- mar,apr
- Bloom Colors:
- yellow, green
Wildlife Benefits
- Caterpillars:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Recorded caterpillar host plant (HOSTS Database)
Keystone Species Ranking
- Caterpillar Keystone:
- ★★★★★ Butterfly & moth species supported by this genus (NWF)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Grote's Pinion (Lithophane grotei), Acronicta dactylina, American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana), Ashen Pinion (Lithophane antennata), Baltimore bomolocha moth (Hypena baltimoralis), Banded Tussock Moth (Halysidota tessellaris), Bethune's Pinion (Lithophane bethunei), bicolored sallow (Sunira bicolorago), broken-banded leafroller (Choristoneura fractivittana), Brown-tail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea), Bruce spanworm (Operophtera bruceata), Caloptilia umbratella, Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), Chain-lined geometer moth (Cingilia catenaria), chalybeana leafroller moth (Acleris chalybeana), clandestine dart (Spaelotis clandestina), Colocasia flavicornis, Colocasia propinquilinea, common lytrosis moth (Lytrosis unitaria), Confused Morrisonia (Morrisonia confusa), Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidoides), Curve-lined looper (Lambdina fervidaria), Dark-spotted Palthis (Palthis angulalis), darksided cutworm (Euxoa messoria), Dasychira obliquata, Dichomeris ligulella, Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americana), elm spanworm moth (Ennomos subsignaria), fall cankerworm (Alsophila pometaria), Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), Forest Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria), Garman Quaker (Orthosia garmani), Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), Heterocampa biundata, hibiscus Quaker (Orthosia hibisci), Hickory Tussock Moth (Lophocampa caryae), Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis), Io moth (Automeris io), Isabella tiger moth (Pyrrharctia isabella), Itame pustularia, lemon plagodis (Plagodis serinaria), Limbata angle moth (Nematocampa limbata), Linden looper (Erannis tiliaria), Lithophane laticinerea, Luna moth (Actias luna), maple borer (Synanthedon acerni), Maple leaf blotch miner (Cameraria aceriella), maple leafcutter moth (Paraclemensia acerifoliella), maple looper moth (Parallelia bistriaris), Maple spanworm (Ennomos magnaria), Maple tip borer moth (Episimus tyrius), maple trumpet skeletonizer (Catastega aceriella), maple twig borer (Proteoteras aesculana), maple-basswood leafroller (Sparganothis pettitana), Morning-glory prominent moth (Schizura ipomoeae), Morrisonia latex, Mottled Prominent (Macrurocampa marthesia), Mournful Thorn (Lambdina fiscellaria), Nameless Pinion (Lithophane innominata), Norman's Quaker (Crocigrapha normani), Obliquebanded leafroller (Choristoneura rosaceana), Olethreutes glaciana, Olethreutes nigranum, Orthosia revicta, Oslar's oakworm moth (Anisota oslari), Packard's Caloptilia Moth (Caloptilia packardella), Peridea basitriens, Peridea ferruginea, Phyllonorycter clemensella, Phyllonorycter lucidicostella, Phyllonorycter trinotella, Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus), Porcelain Gray (Protoboarmia porcelaria), Proteoteras moffatiana, Red Maple Borer (Synanthedon acerrubri), red-humped oakworm moth (Symmerista canicosta), retarded dagger moth (Acronicta retardata), Rosy Maple Moth (Dryocampa rubicunda), Saddled Prominent (Heterocampa guttivitta), sharp-lined tussock moth (Dasychira dorsipennata), Smeared Dagger Moth (Acronicta oblinita), Sparganothis acerivorana, spiny looper moth (Phigalia titea), Spotted Tussock Moth (Lophocampa maculata), Spring cankerworm (Paleacrita vernata), stalk borer moth (Papaipema nebris), sugarcane leafminer (Glaucolepis saccharella), sugarcane leafminer (Cameraria saccharella), Symmerista leucitys, tawny brown carpet moth (Anacamptodes ephyraria), three-lined leafroller (Pandemis limitata), ugly-nest caterpillar moth (Archips cerasivorana), Variegated cutworm (Peridroma saucia), Virginia Tiger Moth (Spilosoma virginica), White-marked Tussock Moth (Orgyia leucostigma), woodland leafroller (Pandemis lamprosana)
Reported Fauna Sightings
Moths:Phyllonorycter lucidicostella, sugarcane leafminer (Glaucolepis saccharella)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- birds, small mammals, squirrels
- Fall Color:
- yellow, orange, red
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- rich, well-drained loamy soil
- pH:
- 5.5 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- Prefers fertile soils in hardwood forests
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 60–90 days
- Germination Time:
- 30–60 days
- Notes:
- Seeds should be sown fresh or kept moist in cold storage. Germination improved with cold stratification at 34-41°F.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI
Pre-treatment: Cold-moist stratification for 30 days at 1–5°C (34–41°F).; then Cold-moist stratification for 60 days.
Source: Claude AI