Red Maple (Acer rubrum)

Formerly Rufacer rubrum, Acer fulgens, Acer glaucum

By Open Grow Guide Updated 4 November 2026

Red maple grows in full sun to part shade and wants medium to wet soil. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to both cats and dogs. Hardy in zones 4a to 9b, it is a deciduous tree that grows at a rapid rate. It is more commonly 40 to 70 ft (12.19 to 21.34 m) high at maturity.

red maple (Acer rubrum), whole plant — Stand of Acer rubrum (Red Maple), three thick ones in the center, two saplings to the right, at the Virginia Native Plants section at Norfolk Botanical Garden, Norfolk, Virginia.
Photo: PumpkinSky, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts

Each value is the cited value from the sources listed at the end of this page.
Light:	Full sun and part shade (full sun preferred)¹1 source
Water:	Medium to wet^1,2
Soil:	Well drained, moist, occasionally dry, occasionally wet and poorly drained; pH 4.5–6.5^1,31 source
Hardiness:	Zones 4a–9b⁴1 source
Size:	40–70 ft (12.19–21.34 m) × 25–35 ft (7.62–10.67 m)^1,7,41 source
Growth rate:	Rapid^1,4,1,7,8
Bloom:	Jan–Mar (North Carolina), Mar–Apr, Apr and Jan, Red, yellow and pink^1,5,9,10,7
Cats:	Non-toxic to cats ^6,1
Dogs:	Non-toxic to dogs ^6,1
Native range:	ALA, ARK, CNT, DEL, FLA, GEO, ILL, INI, IOW, KTY, LOU, MAI, MAS, MIC, MIN, MRY, MSI, MSO, NBR, NCA, NDA, NFL, NSC, NWH, NWJ, NWM, NWY, OHI, OKL, ONT, PEI, PEN, QUE, RHO, SCA, SDA, TEN, TEX, VER, VRG, WDC, WIS, WVA¹¹
Family:	Sapindaceae

How much light does a Red Maple need?

Red maple takes full sun to part shade, and full sun is the preferred setting. Both settings are listed for it outdoors, with full sun ahead of part shade. Pick a spot that suits a tree commonly 40 to 70 ft (12.19 to 21.34 m) high and 25 to 35 ft (7.62 to 10.67 m) wide.

Light: Full sun and part shade (full sun preferred)¹

How often to water a Red Maple

Red maple is easy to grow in average, medium to wet, well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. Its water range runs from medium to wet. The soil drainage listed for it includes occasionally dry and occasionally wet conditions. The drainage record also names well drained, moist and poorly drained soil.

Water: Medium to wet^1,2

Best soil for a Red Maple

Soil drainage for red maple is recorded as well drained, moist, occasionally dry, occasionally wet and poorly drained. The listed pH range is 4.5 to 6.5. A pH of 4.5 is the low end of that range and 6.5 is the high end. Good drainage is among the conditions listed for it. Both the drainage list and the water range cover wet conditions, from occasionally wet to wet.

Soil drainage: Well drained, moist, occasionally dry, occasionally wet and poorly drained¹
Soil pH: pH 4.5–6.5³

Hardiness and temperature

Red maple is hardy in USDA zones 4a through 9b. The range runs from zone 4a at one end to zone 9b at the other. No cited source records a minimum temperature for it, so this page gives zones only. Humidity is not documented for this page. It is a deciduous tree.

Hardiness: Zones 4a–9b⁴

How to plant a Red Maple

Plant red maple where your climate falls within USDA zones 4a to 9b. Give it room for a mature spread of 25 to 35 ft (7.62 to 10.67 m). Leave space overhead too, as the tree is more commonly 40 to 70 ft (12.19 to 21.34 m) high. The growth rate is rapid. Full sun is preferred, and part shade is also listed.

Hardiness: Zones 4a–9b⁴

Winter care

Red maple is a deciduous tree. It is hardy in zones 4a through 9b. No cited source records a minimum temperature, so this page gives no cold threshold. Winter protection steps, such as mulching or wrapping, are not documented for this tree. A site outside zones 4a to 9b falls outside the range given for this tree.

Hardiness: Zones 4a–9b⁴

Care calendar

Months come from the cited care facts; a row shows its source region where the fact has one.
Task	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Prune								Prune in Aug	Prune in Sep
Bloom North Carolina	Bloom in Jan	Bloom in Feb	Bloom in Mar	Bloom in Apr

How to propagate a Red Maple

Red maple can be propagated by seed and by stem cuttings. Softwood cuttings root readily with hormone. Seed is the other listed method. Details for sowing seed, such as timing or depth, are not documented here. Steps for rooting cuttings, such as cutting length or timing, are not documented either. Red maple is a tree, and a rapid grower.

Propagation: Seed and stem cuttings⁵

Common problems

Watch red maple for aphids, leafhoppers, borers, scale insects and caterpillars. The pest list also includes woolly alder aphid. Diseases on record are verticillium wilt, canker, leaf spot and root rot. Verticillium wilt attacks the vascular system and can be fatal. Fungal leaf spot, canker and root rots may also occur.

Common pests: aphids, leafhoppers, borers, scale insects, caterpillars and woolly alder aphid¹
Common diseases: verticillium wilt, canker, leaf spot and root rot^1,1

Pests and diseases recorded for this plant by the sources listed at the end of this page.
Problem	Kind
Aphids	Pest
Leafhoppers	Pest
Borers	Pest
Scale insects	Pest
Caterpillars	Pest
Woolly alder aphid	Pest
Verticillium wilt	Disease
Canker	Disease
Leaf spot	Disease
Root rot	Disease

Is Red Maple toxic to cats and dogs?

Non-toxic to cats ^6,1 Non-toxic to dogs ^6,1

The ASPCA entry for red maple reads non-toxic to dogs and non-toxic to cats. For cats, the position is non-toxic, and NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox gives the same position. For dogs, the position is non-toxic, and NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox gives the same position. Both entries give the same position for cats and for dogs. Neither entry names a toxic part. This page covers cats and dogs only.

Recommended supplies

Soil: a free-draining mix, and a pot with a drainage hole.

Questions and answers

Is red maple toxic to cats or dogs?: The ASPCA lists red maple as non-toxic to both cats and dogs. NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox describes it as non-toxic for cats and non-toxic for dogs as well.
What conditions does red maple like?: Red maple takes full sun to part shade, and full sun is preferred. Its water range is medium to wet. The listed soil pH range is 4.5 to 6.5.
How big does red maple get?: Red maple is more commonly 40 to 70 ft (12.19 to 21.34 m) high, with a spread of 25 to 35 ft (7.62 to 10.67 m). It grows at a rapid rate.

Sources

NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/acer-rubrum/. Accessed 14 October 2026.
Penn State Extension. https://extension.psu.edu/rain-garden-plants-red-maple. Accessed 14 October 2026.
University of Minnesota Extension. https://extension.umn.edu/garden-and-home/yard-and-garden/lawns-and-landscapes-in-minnesota/red-maple. Accessed 14 October 2026.
University of Florida IFAS Extension (EDIS). https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/st041. Accessed 14 October 2026.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=acru. Accessed 14 October 2026.
ASPCA. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/aspca-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/red-maple. Accessed 14 October 2026.
Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC. https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/maple/. Accessed 14 October 2026.
University of Florida IFAS Extension (EDIS). https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ST041. Accessed 30 October 2026.
Chicago Botanic Garden. https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plant-information/plant-finder/acer-rubrum-red-maple. Accessed 21 October 2026.
University of Minnesota Extension. https://extension.umn.edu/garden-and-home/yard-and-garden/lawns-and-landscapes-in-minnesota/trees-and-shrubs-for-pollinators. Accessed 21 October 2026.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (World Checklist of Vascular Plants). https://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/wcvp.zip. Accessed 4 June 2026.

How this page was made

Written with AI assistance from the sources listed on this page. AI is never the source of a fact.

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