Maple, Red Sunset - Acer rubrum 'Franksred'
At Native Forest Nursery we grow bare root seedlings and #3 container trees. Our container trees are grown in a #3 air pruned pot. This root making container eliminates nearly all potential for root wrapping. This allows for an excellent root structure and delivers an extremely healthy tree. The bare root seedlings at our nursery are grown in a sandy loam soil with high organic matter content, which provides an extremely healthy environment for our seedlings. Our bare root liners and seedlings are hand lifted, packaged, and kept in cold storage until you are ready to plant. Conservation uses for our products include reclamation, mitigation, reforestation, restoration, wildlife habitat improvement and wetland uses. Horticultural uses for our products include field liners, container liners, landscape plantings, budding stock, grafting stock and ornamental uses.
| Family: | Sapindaceae |
| Latin Name: | Acer rubrum 'Franksred' |
| Foliage: | Medium to dark green |
| Fall Foliage: | Red |
| Bloom: | Red to yellow |
| Bloom Time: | March to April |
| Shape: | Oval-rounded crown |
| Bark: | Silver and gray |
| Sun: | Full sun to part shade |
| Zone: | Zone 3 to Zone 9 |
| Size: | 40 to 70 feet |
| Spread: | 30 to 50 feet |
| Care: | Medium, well drained soil |
True to its name, the Red Sunset Maple’s foliage seems to have soaked up all the impeccable hues of a ruby-red dusk in order to release them upon its every leaf. Celebrated as one of the loveliest, most reliable, and best-known maple cultivars, this deciduous tree belongs to the Sapindaceae family. Its binomial name, Acer Rubrum “Franksred”, pays tribute to its original developer, J. Frank Schmidt Jr.
Commonly cultivated throughout most of the United States, the Red Sunset Maple is lauded by the nation’s gardeners for its vivid coloration, its wide geographic scope, and its dependability as a plant. No serious insect or disease problems have been recorded, though the species can be vulnerable to verticillium wilt and fungal leaf and root rots. Best planted upland, this maple variant is easily developed with minimal prudence and serves as a spectacular shade and ornamental tree.
Fast-growing, the Red Sunset Maple’s oval-round canopy can scrape heights of 40-70 ft., and it has a typical width of 30-50 ft. With a 3-9 hardiness zone rating, this species thrives in medium, well-drained soils and prefers full sun to partial shade. Its stems, twigs, two-winged summer samara seeds, and (of course!) its resplendent autumn foliage are all tinted vibrant red. In the spring and summer, the Red Sunset Maple’s deciduous leaves are a glossy medium to dark green, identified by their toothed margins, pointy tips, and silvery-tinged undersides. The tree’s bark is silvery-gray, a soothing contrast to the plethora of fiery red. Golden or scarlet flowers emerge in March and April, further contributing to the stunning coloration of the overall plant, and are later replaced by a profusion of winged samaras that serve to propagate the tree and which also make the surrounding territory a feasting ground for local squirrels and birds.
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