PlantFiles: Red Maple, Scarlet Maple, Carolina Red Maple
Acer rubrum var. trilobum

Acer rubrum var. trilobum is Native to Texas and other States.

Warning - deadly to horses!

For those of you who are thinking about adding this tree to your property and you have horses on the property or adjoining the property, please do not plant this tree. The WILTED leaves of this tree (and the wild cherry tree as well) are highly poisonous to horses and other equiods (mules, donkeys). There is no cure for the poison, and it only takes one or two wilted leaves to kill an 1000 lb. horse. The death is painful to watch as the blood thickens and loses its ability to carry Oxg. to the orgains. Death usually occurs w/in 24 hours after the expression of collic-like symptoms.

The good news is that most horses will only mouth wilted leaves. The wilted leaves have a bitter flavor. Usually only very young, very inexperianced or starving horses will eat the wilted leaves.

Fresh leaves that are NOT wilted are not toxic. It is ONLY the WILTED leaves that are Toxic.

Check w/ your local extenion office for more information.

The red maple is one of the tallest maples, and it is called red because the twigs, stems, blossoms, and fall foliage are all a brilliant red. The trees can be sapped, but they contain much less sugar than the Sugar Maple. The blossoms are among the earliest to appear in New England, and are therefore the first that honeybees visit in the spring.