Striped Maple, Acer pensylvanicum L., Native Minnesota Tree, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

Other names and notes	Trees and Shrubs of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Flowering Season
	Striped Maple	Acer pensylvanicum L.	Maple (Aceraceae)	Woodland	Spring - usually May
	(Goose-foot Maple, Northern Maple, Moosewood) Bark: The smooth gray or green-gray bark of Striped Maple bears distinctive light-colored vertical stripes, hence its common name. Bark becomes reddish brown on old stems. The low tree will reach 15 feet in height with 3" diameter stems, but frequently in the understory appears as a shrub. The leaves are opposite, large, 5” to 8” long and much more finely toothed than Mountain Maple, Acer spicatum, which grows nearby in the Garden. The 3-lobed indentations of the leaf are sharply pointed, much more so than A. spicatum (hence the alternate common name of 'goose-foot'). Twigs are hairless and reddish when young. Greenish-yellow flowers are bell-shaped, 1/4" long and hang in drooping clusters, which appear after the leaves. These produce a winged, paired fruit (a samara) in late summer, ripening in autumn. The samara pairs are much more widely spread than that of A. spicatum.

Above and Below: The drooping clusters of bell shaped flowers distinguishes this maple from A. spicatum.	Above: The outer bark furrows and exposes a lighter layer under giving the bark a striped appearance. Below: The leaf is much larger, more pointed, and more finely toothed than that of A. spicatum.

Notes: Eloise Butler first planted this species in the Garden on May 28, 1909 with plants obtained from the Park Board. This plant was listed on Martha Crone's 1951 inventory of plants in the Garden at that time. Striped Maple has been considered native to a few places in Minnesota in some references but this is probably mistaken as neither the MN DNR native plant list nor the University of Minnesota's Comprehensively Annotated Checklist of the Flora of Minnesota, version 2011.2 list it as a native species. Minnesota references are probably due to imported and nursery grown plants such as those grown by the Park Board. In nearby Wisconsin, it is found only in distant Door County. Minnesota would be beyond its western-most reach. Its main habitat is the eastern U.S., south as far as Georgia and Eastern Canada.

Former curator Martha Crone wrote: "The green bark of this tree breaks into a network of furrows, exposing a pale under layer, making the green appear delicately striped with white. The handsome large leaves turn yellow in autumn. The yellow bell-like flowers in long racemes gracefully drooping, appear among the leaves in May. The samaras ripen in autumn. The Striped Maple is most attractive in early spring when its bud scales lengthen and the rosy, down-covered leaves appear. It is difficult to believe that this exquisite maple is a native here, yet not used more extensively in cultivation. it will thrive in partial shade in with taller trees. Seeds of this tree germinate readily." Published in The Fringed Gentian™, Vol. 4, #2, April 1956.

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 32, W2, W3, W7 & W8 plus others as specifically applies. Distribution principally from Wi, W2 and 28C. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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