Red maple, Acer rubrum, is the tree you are seeing locally. Like the dogwood, it is best to purchase one grown in Florida, so consider purchasing one from your local nursery. It is possible for red maples to reach 75 feet in height and spread to 35 feet. Remember to allow plenty of room for this tree. Red maples grow fast and prefer wet sites, which is why you often see them growing in moist areas along the roadside. However, they will not tolerate constant flooding.

Be sure to prune the tree while it is young to have a strong central leader. Consider any of the cultivars listed below. I have removed a few listed in the article because they generally had poor limb structure. ‘Autumn Flame’—45 feet tall, round, above average fall color; ‘Gerling’—densely branched, broadly pyramidal, about 35 feet tall when mature; ‘October Glory’—above average fall color, excellent tree, retains leaves late, 60 feet tall; ‘Red Sunset’—above average orange to red fall color, does well in the south in USDA hardiness zone 8, probably the best cultivar for the deep south, oval, 50 feet tall; ‘Scanlon’—upright growth habit; ‘Schlesinger’—good fall color, rapid growth rate; ‘Tilford’—globe-shaped crown. Variety drummondii suitable in USDA hardiness zone 8.

There is a recently introduced hybrid cross between red and silver maple called hybrid maple (Acer x fremanii). Cultivars of this hybrid include ‘Autumn Blaze’ with an oval crown to 50 feet tall, ‘Celebration’ with a narrow upright crown and a strong central leader to 50 or 60 feet tall, ‘Celzam’ with a narrow oval crown to 50 feet tall, and ‘Scarlet Sentenial’ with great fall color, and oval crown to 40 feet tall. The culture of these trees is probably like the red maple.

For more complete information please read the University of Florida publication: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st041

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