The Trees of Vermont 165 



ACERACEAE 



Striped Maple. Moosewood 

 Acer pennsylvanicum L. 



Habit. — A small tree at best, more often a large shrub, seldom 

 attaining a height of more than 20 feet, with a short trunk 5-8 inches 

 through. The striped, upright branches form a rather compact crown. 



Leaves. — Opposite, simple, 5-6 inches long and nearly as broad ; 

 3-lobed above the middle with short, tapering lobes ; palmately 3- 

 nerved ; sharply doubly serrate ; rounded or heart-shaped at the base ; 

 glabrous, yellow-green above, paler beneath, turning pale yellow in 

 autumn ; petioles stout, grooved. 



Flowers. — May-June, when the leaves are nearly full grown ; 

 usually monoecious ; large bright yellow, bell-shaped, in slender, droop- 

 ing racemes 4-6 inches long ; calyx 5-parted ; petals 5 ; stamens 7-8 ; 

 ovary downy. 



Fruit. — Ripens in autumn ; glabrous, paired samaras in long, 

 drooping, racemose clusters, the wings ^ inch long, widely divergent, 

 and marked on one side of each nutlet by a small cavity. 



Winter-buds. — Bright red ; terminal bud nearly ^ inch long, 

 short-stalked, with bud-scales keeled ; lateral buds smaller, appressed. 



Bark. — Twigs light green, mottled with black, smooth ; trunk and 

 branches red-brown, marked longitudinally by broad, pale stripes. 



Wood. — Light, soft, close-grained, pinkish brown, with thick, 

 lighter colored sapwood. 



Distribution. — Common throughout Vermont. 



Habitat. — Cool, rocky or sandy woods, in rich soil, usually in the 

 shade of other trees. 



Notes. — The striped maple is a small tree or shrub which forms a 

 familiar part of the undergrowth of our forests, and is a common 

 roadside bush in all parts of Vermont. It is easily distinguished by its 

 greenish bark striped longitudinally with darker lines. The leaves, 

 the largest of the maples, are usually from five to seven inches long 

 and four or five inches wide. Its drooping clusters of greenish flowers 

 unfold by the middle of June when the leaves are nearly grown. The 

 fruits are abundant and turn a beautiful scarlet towards autumn. This 

 maple rarely exceeds a height of twenty feet. It also has a distinct 

 value for ornamental planting, especially in groups or borders. 



