{"id":12734,"date":"2023-03-05T04:37:31","date_gmt":"2023-03-05T09:37:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/?p=12734"},"modified":"2023-03-05T04:37:33","modified_gmt":"2023-03-05T09:37:33","slug":"trees-that-look-like-maple-trees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/trees-that-look-like-maple-trees\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Trees That Look Like Maple Trees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are a variety of maple tree species<\/a>; though there is some variation in their appearance, they all have unique, highly-recognizable leaves. But did you know there are other trees that have similar leaves? It would be easy to confuse these trees with maples. Read on to learn more about the trees that look like maple trees and how to tell them apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trees That Look Like Maple Trees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Sweetgum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"sweetgum<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are 15 species of sweetgum trees found in North America, Europe, and Asia. They are known by many common names, including redgum trees, satin-walnut trees, and gum trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These trees have star-shaped, palmate leaves, each with five to seven lobes. It is these leaves, along with their furrowed bark and tall stature, that give sweetgum trees a similar appearance to maple trees.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on the species, sweetgum trees may have green, red, yellow, or purple leaves. The leaves turn even brighter colors in the fall, like maples do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing that sets sweetgum trees apart from maples is the fruit they produce. While maples release winged seed pods known as samaras, sweetgum trees produce hard, prickly, woody seed capsules sometimes known as \u201cgumballs\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When cut or damaged, sweetgum trees release a sticky, resinous sap\u2013hence their name. This sap is quite different from the large amounts of liquid, clear sap which maple trees are known for producing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, despite similarities in appearance, there are definite ways to tell sweetgum trees apart from maples\u2013as long as you know what you are looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Sycamore<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"sycamore<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sycamore trees can be found throughout the world and are extremely common in North America. There are about six species of sycamore, and they are sometimes called plane trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sycamore trees grow quite large, up to 130 feet. Though some maples can also grow this large, many maple species are smaller.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sycamores are commonly confused with maples<\/a> because of their leaves. The leaves appear very similar to maple leaves, as they are palmate and divided into three to five lobes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The leaves also tend to turn bright yellow or yellow-brown in the fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though the leaves are very similar in shape and appearance, they are generally larger than maple leaves. What\u2019s more, they are arranged alternately on stems, while maple leaves have an opposite arrangement.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from these minor differences, sycamore trees have other features that set them apart from maples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have a thin, papery bark that often flakes away, revealing patches of white, yellow, gray, and tan. This gives sycamore tree trunks a unique camouflage appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sycamore trees produce seed balls filled with tightly-compacted, fuzzy seeds. These are green for most of the year before turning brown at maturity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These two features\u2013the papery bark and fuzzy seed balls\u2013are unique features of sycamore trees and make them easy to distinguish from other types of trees, even maples.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out this video to learn more about one species of this tree, the American sycamore:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=2Lu0dGhufrg<\/a>