Red Sunset® Maple Tree

About Red Sunset Maple Trees

Known for its stunning red and orange leaves in the fall, the Red Sunset Maple is a cultivar of red maple, acer rubrum. Its leaves color early, often weeks earlier than other maples. The spectacular display of autumn color makes this a favorite ornamental tree! In the spring, the emerging leaves and flowers of this tree also appear red briefly.

Red maples are hardwood trees native to North America and grow well in much of the United States, see USDA hardiness zones. They are beautiful maple trees that provide great shade and grow quickly. This deciduous tree has a graceful form, reaching heights up to 50 feet tall, with a large canopy that spreads up to 40 feet in width.

The Red Sunset Maple is a perfect tree to plant for shade in home yards, public parks, and along boulevards.

Maple Syrup and Woodworking

The sap of the Red Sunset Maple does not contain as much sugar as sap from a Sugar Maple, but it can still be tapped to make maple syrup.

Red maples are hardwood trees, but their wood is known as soft maple. Don’t let that name fool you! Soft maple is only soft with respect to hard maple. The wood is quite strong and is useful in many woodworking applications, including making furniture, cabinets, and musical instruments.

Growing Red Sunset Maples

Red Sunset maple trees are cold-hardy and heat resistant. They grow relatively quickly, between to one to two feet per year, which is almost twice as fast as Sugar Maples. See below for soil conditions and sun requirements.

Buy Red Sunset Maple trees for your lawn, street, or forest, and enjoy their spectacular fall colors and cooling summer shade.