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Lookalike Leaves: How to Tell the Difference Between Maple Tree Varieties in the Fall
As the leaves fall around you, you may notice some that look almost identical. This is especially true for maple trees. Sugar maples, red maples, and Norway maples can all be found in our parks, and there are other tree species, like sweetgums, that sometimes look just like maples, too. Use this handy guide to tell those lookalike leaves apart!
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Red Maple
When you think of a maple tree in the fall, you're probably imagining bright red leaves — what you're thinking of is likely the red maple (Acer rubrum). In autumn, its leaves turn a brilliant, deep scarlet color. With more than 18,000 red maples on New York City streets, it's very likely you’ll come across one. But, there are other maple trees that boast a reddish color, so take an even closer look — red maple leaves have three parts, or lobes, that all point in the same direction.
Sugar Maple
The sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is often confused with the red maple, but the two aren't identical at all! Sugar maple leaves have five pointed lobes, each pointing in a different direction, and the leaves can turn a range of colors, from bright yellow to orange to a vivid red-orange – sometimes, all of these colors may even be visible on the same tree!
Norway Maple
Often confused with sugar maples, Norway maple (Acer platanoides) also have leaves with five lobes. But unlike sugar maples, the stems of Norway maple leaves secrete a milky sap when you break them from the twig, but please don't snap the twigs — there's another way to tell them apart! Norway maples change color much later in the season, often turning yellow in late November.
Bonus: Sweetgum
Another leaf that could be mistaken for a maple is the sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua). But sweetgum leaves are distinctly star-shaped and are often surrounded by their easy-to-recognize fruit that looks like spike balls. The leaves of sweetgum trees usually have five pointed lobes, and occasionally more.
Ready to Explore?
As the leaves change, use these guides to learn more about maple trees while exploring our parks and trees in your neighborhood!
NYC Street Tree Map
Test your new skills with our NYC Street Tree Map! Use the map to confirm if you've spotted a maple!
Leaf ID Guide
Learn more about common leaf shapes and how to recognize the trees they come from.
Fall Foliage at Parks
Discover all things foliage, including the science of changing leaf colors.
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