The wood is reputed harder than Sugar Maple. Both Black and Sugar Maple are tapped in early spring when the sap flows. About 30 gallons of watery, slightly sweet sap are boiled down to yield a gallon of golden brown syrup.
Black Maple is considered by some a species distinct from Sugar Maple. Other rank it simply as a variety with more shallow lobes and even fewer teeth. The bark is similar to that of Sugar Maple: dark gray, breaking into thin plates. Black Maple leaves are somewhat smaller than Sugar Maple, bright green above, yellowish and hairy beneath.
