Natives by ZIP

Native plants recorded in your state and county

Tree · Aceraceae

Red maple

Acer rubrum · includes its varieties and subspecies

Red maple is recorded as native to 32 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 1,472 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

Red maple at a glance

Native in
1,472 counties, across 32 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness
Zone 2b PLANTS minimum temperature −47°F
Mature height
68 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water
Sun to part shade High water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 2b. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of −47°F; zone 2b winters bottom out at −45°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

Red maple is recorded as native to 32 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 1,472 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Counties where it is native

The 15 counties with the most ZIP codes among the 1,472 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record. “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit
Tree
Duration
Perennial
Mature height
68 ft
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth form
Single Stem
Shape
Rounded
Lifespan
Short
Active growth period
Spring and Summer

Light and water

Shade tolerance
Intermediate (sun to part shade)
Moisture use
High water use
Drought tolerance
Medium
Tolerance of waterlogged soil
Medium
Precipitation range
25 to 80 in per year

Soil

Soil textures
Coarse, medium and fine
pH range
4.7 to 7.3
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance
High
Salinity tolerance
None
Fertility requirement
Medium
Minimum root depth
30 in

Climate

Minimum temperature
−47°F
Estimated cold hardiness
Zone 2b and warmer
Minimum frost-free days
80
Fire tolerance
Low

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color
Red
Showy flowers
Yes
Bloom period
Early Spring
Foliage color
Green
Showy in fall
Yes
Keeps leaves
No
Fruit color
Red

Other

Toxicity
Slight
Nitrogen fixation
None
Nursery availability
Routinely Available
Family
Aceraceae
PLANTS symbol
ACRU

Is it native where you live?

Matches your ZIP to the county it mostly lies in, then lists the plants recorded as native to your state (Kew’s World Checklist and USDA PLANTS) and recorded in that county by USDA PLANTS.

Source & data date

Source
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).
Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.
USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation
USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.
Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date
Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Scope
Acer rubrum (PLANTS symbol ACRU), including 3 varieties and subspecies folded into the species.
Method
A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.