On June 18, 1949, the sugar maple was made the state tree by the West Virginia Legislature. The sugar maple, sometimes called sugar tree, is one of our best known and most valuable trees. It is a slow growing species and has a beautiful shaped head or top. One feature includes the bark, young trees are light gray to brown and rather smooth, but an older tree's bark breaks up into long odd plates. The tree's height can go up to 100 feet with a diameter of three to five feet. The leaves are three to five inches across, plain contrast, with three to five pointed ends. The flowers are yellowish-green and appear in April and May. The fruit ripens in the fall and consists of a two-winged samara. The wood is heavy, hard, close-grained and is known commonly as hard maple. It is from this species that maple syrup and maple candy are made. This wonderful tree can be found throughout the beautiful state of West Virginia. ...Drawing & article by Brandon: 8th grade, MJHS