Acer nigrum (Black maple) is a species of maple closely related to A. saccharum (sugar maple), and treated as a subspecies of it by some authors, as Acer saccharum subsp. nigrum.Identification can be confusing due to the tendency of the two species to form hybrids. The simplest and most accurate method for distinguishing between the two trees is the generally three-lobed leaves of the black maple versus the generally five-lobed leaves of the sugar maple.