Flowers emerge after the leaves and are small, greenish yellow and form drooping clusters. Fruit is reddish at first and turn to tan later and are typical maple samaras with widely spaced wings and mature in late summer. Striped Maples are important to the forest ecosystem as they provide layered diversity under the canopy. Twigs are browsed by many small mammals and squirrels eat the seeds. The tree provided shelter and nesting sites for birds.
| Family | Maple |
|---|---|
| Season Bloom | Spring |
| Habitat | A small understory tree preferring cool moist soils, moderate shade and often found growing on slopes. Mammals eat the bark during the winter. When young, the bark is smooth and green with longitudinal white stripes. The stripes are lost with age. The stripped Maple is an important ecosystem tree creating the shelter and food nearer to the ground under the canopy. It grows best in filtered light. |
| Cycle | |
| Height | 20-40' |
| Leaf Description | Called "Goosefoot" or "Goose Maple" refers to the leaf shape which is roughly like the shape of a goose foot. Leaves are opposite and lobed, large and papery. It has three forward-facing lobes with the center the largest. Margins are finely toothed and shape is slightly heart shaped at the base. Deep yellow-green and smooth, leaves turn yellow in fall. |
| Soil Type | Wet |
| Light Source | Partial Shade |
| Location | Woodland |
