Maples - Striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum) Plants

Striped maple is an understory tree of northern hardwood forests, and inhabits cool, moist and shaded locations south through the Appalachian mountains in Georgia. It can exist for years in dense shade, growing slowly until there is a break in the canopy, when it shoots up with the added light. With too much light its leaves will scorch, and also does not tolerate heat, drought, flooding or salt. Striped maples bring ornament to a woodland edge, and can be planted singularly or in groves, underneath taller trees and on the north sides of buildings. 

It is easy to distinguish from other maples, with its decorative green and white striped bark and large, soft leaves that illuminate autumn landscapes with yellow. In bloom, the dangling chains of little green flowers provide pollen for early insects, which develop into showy seed clusters and high value bird food. It is also called “moosewood” since moose devour the bark as a staple winter food source.