400 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 or warty. 



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 — brownish. 



L.EAF-SCARS — Opposite, narrow", V-shaped, margined by a lighter 

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

 3, undivided. 



BUD — Stalked, small, slerjder, 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 wings 

 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; Connecti- 

 cut — occasional in the northern part of the state, becomfng rare south- 

 ward, reaching East Haddam, Guilford at Bluff Head, Meriden and 

 Redding; Rhode Island — occasional northward. 



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

 thick lighter colored sapwood. 



