Acer pensylvanicum Striped Maple
General
A small, understory tree of the Northeast hardwood forest, with conspicuous striped bark. It is a food source for deer, moose, rabbits, and beavers.
Plant Description
Striped maple is named for its distinctive vertically-striped bark, which is striking green and black when young, and light green and white as it matures. Grows in moist woods. This species is mostly dioecious, with a male-biased sex ratio. It can change genders from year to year.
Height (ft)
≤45 feet
Spread (ft)
12-20
Soil moisture
Moist
Soil types
Coarse to medium textured mineral soils
Wetland indicator
FACU
Shade tolerance
Full Sun-Part Shade
Bloom color
Yellow, inconspicuous
Bloom period
Late Spring
Fall conspicuous
Yes
Anaerobic tolerance
None
Drought tolerance
Low
Salinity tolerance
None
Mono/dioecious
Primarily dioecious, monoecy is rare
Distribution
Quebec and Nova Scotia west to the Upper Peninsula, and south to New York then along the Appalachian range south to North Carolina. For distribution map, click: http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Acer%20pensylvanicum.png
Additional information
Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. North American Plant Atlas. (http://bonap.net/napa). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press) LINK
Brooks, Henry and Dame, Lorin L. Handbook of the Trees of New England. Ginn & Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 1901. LINK
Fergus, Charles. Trees of New England: A Natural History. Morris Book Publishing, LLC. Guilford, Connecticut. 2005. LINK
Grimm, William Carey. The Illustrated Book of Trees. Revised by John Kartesz. Stackpole Books, Pennsylvania. 2002. LINK
Peattie, Donald Culross. A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America. Bonanza Books, New York. 1948. LINK
Sternberg, Guy and Wilson, Jim. Native Trees for North American Landscapes: from the Atlantic to the Rockies. Timber Press, Oregon. 2004. LINK
USDA, NRCS. 2021. PLANTS Database (https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/, 08/20/2021). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA. LINK