THE STRIPED MAPLE OR MOOSEWOOD 



IN the more northern States the Striped Maple is one of the most distinctive features 

 of what Stevenson so happily called the "underwoods." As one wanders through 

 the trails along the mountainsides one constantly sees the slender saplings of this 

 beautiful little tree springing up beneath the monarchs of the forest, and occasionally in 

 an open glade reaching a considerable size. 



In summer the Striped Maple is easily recognized by the large goosefoot-like leaves, 

 with extraordinarily thin blades and a most delicate network of veins and veinlets. The 

 upper surface is dark yellow-green while the lower surface is much lighter, the latter being 

 sparsely clothed with short rust-red hairs. The margins are finely, doubly serrate and the 

 three lobes have delicate acuminate points. About the time they fall in autumn the leaves 

 change to a bright yellow color. 



In its winter condition the Striped Maple is easily recognized by the beautiful 

 striped markings of the bark, which is generally some hue of green or red. The bark is 

 smooth and the buds have short stalks which are quite characteristic. 



In spring or early in summer, just after the leaves have developed, the beautiful 

 pendent racemes of yellow flowers appear. Like so many of the Maples, these blossoms 

 are variable as to the pollen-bearing and the seed-bearing florets. For the most part each 

 raceme consists of one kind of flower, although racemes of both sorts are commonly to be 

 found upon the same tree. Each small bell-shaped flower hangs on a slender stem and has 

 both sepals and petals of a greenish-yellow color. The seed-bearing flowers gradually 

 develop into racemes of key-fruits that mature early in autumn, each pair of key-fruits 

 being united at a wide angle. 



The Striped Maple is often called the Moosewood because the branches are fed upon 

 by the moose, a name, however, which is also applied to the Hobble-bush. The tree 

 seldom attains a height of more than twenty-five feet. It is essentially a Northern species, 

 extending from the far North, south to the mountains of Tennessee and the Carolinas. 



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