534 NEW ENGLAND TREES IN WINTER. 



MOUNTAIN MAPLE 



Acer spicatum Lam. 



HABIT Shrub or small bushy tree up to 25 ft. in height with a 

 trunk diameter of 6-8 inches; trunk short, straight, with slender upright 

 branches. 



BARK Very thin, reddish-brown to dingy-gray, smooth or slightly 

 furrowed. 



TWIGS Slender, bright red to purple on upper side where exposed 

 to the light, yellowish to greenish on shaded under side, color per- 

 sisting for several years; covered especially toward tip with short 

 appressed grayish hairs, which may persist in scant amount for several 

 years toward upper part of each year's growth. Year's growth marked 

 by 2-3 circles formed by scars of bud-scales. LENTICELS few, 

 inconspicuous. PITH brown. 



LEAP-SCARS Opposite, narrow, V-shaped, margined by a lighter 

 colored and more or less raised rim, nearly meeting. BUNDLE-SCARS 

 3, undivided. 



BUDS Stalked, small, slender, pointed; generally under 6 mm. in 

 length including stalk, red or greenish, covered, especially the terminal 

 buds, with short appressed grayish hairs; terminal bud larger than 

 appressed lateral buds. BUD-SCALES thick, 2-3 pairs, one or at most 

 2 pairs visible, the second pair hairy. 



FRUIT In drooping racemes with wide more or less spreading wing-a 

 about 2 cm. or less long, seed-like portion short, with pit-like depres- 

 sion on one side. 



COMPARISONS Resembles the Striped Maple (which see) in habit, 

 distribution, color of twigs and few scales to the stalked buds. It 

 differs from the Striped Maple in absence of white streaks on young 

 bark and by pale down on twigs and especially on the smaller buds. 



DISTRIBUTION Moist rocky hillsides usually in the shade of other 

 trees. From Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to Saskatchewan, along 

 mountain ranges to Georgia. 



IN NEW ENGLAND Maine common, especially northward in the 

 forests; New Hampshire and Vermont common; Massachusetts rather 

 common in western and central sections, occasional eastward; Rhode 

 Island occasional northward. 



IN CONNECTICUT Occasional in the northern part of the state, 

 becoming rare southward, reaching East Haddam, Guilford at Bluff 

 Head, Meriden and Redding. 



WOOD Light, soft, close-grained, light brown tinged with red, with 

 thick lighter colored sapwood. 



