Trees of Xcir ¥<>>■/,■ State 2!)1 



ACERACEAE 



Ai-er spii-jitiuu T^itni. 



Mountain Maple 



Habit - Occasionally a small bushy tree '20-35 foot in lieij;ht with a tiiiiik 

 diameter of 4-8 inches, more ofton a shrub growing; in chnnps of a iialf 

 dozen or more, or forming extensive thickets. 



Leaves — Opposite, broadly ovate to orbicular^ S-.l inches long, cordate at 

 the base, jialmately 3-lobed or dbscurely o-lobed, tlie lobes acute or acu- 

 minate at the apex and coarsely crenate-serrate with gland-tipped teeth. 

 At nijiturity the leaves are nuMubranous. jiromiueutly 3-nerved with con- 

 spicuous veinlets. glabrous above, dense hoary jiubescent below, borne on 

 slender petioles l2-3 inches long which are enlarged at the V)ase ami 

 usually turn scarlet during the sunimei'. 



Flowers — Ai)pearing in June when the leaves are nearly full grown, 

 p(dyg;inio-dioecious. greenish yellow, borne in narrow, eiect. terminal, 

 pubescent, long-stalked, compound racemes, the fertile flowers towards 

 the ba.se. C;ilyx usually ."i-lobeil. the lobes narrowly obovate. pubescent 

 on the outer surface. I'etals usually •*). linear-sjiatulate. acute, longer 

 than the sep.als. Stamens 7-S, free, with blender, glabrous filaments and 

 (ddong, glandular anthers, exserted in the staniinate flower. Pistil con- 

 sisting of a sessile, broadly obovate, laterally compressed, pale tomentoso 

 ov;irv surmounted by a columnar style ami 2 short, spreading stigmas. 



Friiit — A double sanuira consisting of 2 bright red, 1-seeded, laterally com- 

 pressed, nearly glabrous, strongly striated, nut-like carpels which develop 

 from the back oblong or obcjvate. coriaceous, divergent wings about V2 

 of an inch long. The sa)naras are borne in drooping, racemose clusters. 

 As they liiature in September, the nut-like carpels turn brown and fall 

 separately from the persisting axis. 



Winter characters — Twigs slender, bright red, appressed grayish-pubescent 

 at least toward the tip, at length pale grayish brown, often streaked with 

 green toward the base. Buds opposite, acute, appressed, short-stalked, 

 greenish re<l. about V^ of an inch long including the stalk. Terminal 

 bud larger. Bud-scales 2-3 p.-iirs, but one or two pairs visible, the inner 

 pair tomentose. Mature bark thin, reddisli brown, smooth or slightly 

 furrowed. 



Habitat — A retiring species preferring moist sites in rocky glens, gulfs and 

 on talus slopes with northern exposure. Frequent on the moist a]i)in6 

 slopes of the southern Appalachian ^lountains. 



Range — XeAvfoundland westward to ^ranit(d)a and the 7iorthern bordet 

 states as far west as Minnesota, south along the Appalachians to north- 

 ern Georgia and eastern Tennessee. Zones B. C, D, and E. 



Uses — The species possesses little economic importance. Occasionally culti- 

 vated for ornament in arboretunus iind ])arks. The wood is sometimes 

 used for fuel. 



