Red Maple in South Beach

13 years ago

This past weekend, while kicking around in South Miami Beach, I was surprised to see two healthy red maples (Acer rubrum). These two maples were growing in a courtyard, were each about 15 feet tall, and most surprisingly, they were perfectly healthy (no dead twigs/branches, healthy looking bark/trunk, and healthy leaves with no signs of pests or fungal infection). Has anybody else seen this species so far south on the southern tip of the Florida peninsula?

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Comments (4)

musicalperson
13 years ago
YEAH RIGHT!
I'll believe it when you post a photo.

The farthest south I've seen an acer rubrum was around hollywood at an offramp to i-95, some drainage ditch type area- I believe it was planted but it was young and weedy looking.

Now the farthest south I've seen a fairly mature red maple was in west palm beach.

The farthest south I've seen an a. rubrum growing wild would be to the west of hobe sound / jupiter. Around indiantown perhaps. Some big, wide spreading ones. Real nice in the soupy marshes with lots of sunlight.

And I've heard of others in palm beach county. But south beach?! Photos please.
williamr
Original Author
13 years ago
Musicalperson,

I was as astonished as you are when I just glanced over and saw them just growing there, and looking good. We were wandering around trying to find Publix at the time so I didn't have my camera, but I know they are either on Lincoln Rd. or 17th St., on the north side of the road a few blocks before Alton Rd. (going west). When I am down there again in a few weeks I will get some photos, and will try to capture some surroundings that prove it is indeed South Beach ;) Also, from what I've read, a number of hardwood hammocks in the Everglades contain populations of Acer rubrum, and I know that I have seem at least one growing at Fairchild's in Coral Gables.
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musicalperson
13 years ago
No kidding. Well next time I go down to florida to visit the old folks, I should take a detour to Fairchild tropical garden.
If you go to the USF plant atlas website and do a search you'll see that dade county doesn't have any vouchered specimens of acer rubrum but mainland monroe does. Then again, the county where I saw some growing wild doesn't either. And I know I've seen some sweetgums in lee county but the map doesn't show those either.

Those trees have a huge range. I'm not surprised they tolerate the climate so much as they can tolerate the lack of chill hours and also that someone down there found some to plant or thought to plant them.

Do you live in that area?
williamr
Original Author
13 years ago
I actually live in the Orlando area, so I see plenty of red maples. I have also read about disjunct populations of Sugar maple and Sweetgum (and other similar tree species) in certain mountainous areas of Mexico and central America. I find this fascinating, as they are supposed to be relics of the last ice-age, when the range of these temperate species was much further south. Then, when it warmed back up, they retreated and have persisted only in mountainous areas.