{{Short description|Species of maple}} {{Speciesbox | image = moosewood_leaves.jpg | image_caption = Striped maple leaves, [[Cranberry Wilderness]], [[West Virginia]] | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Barstow, M. |author2=Crowley, D. |date=2017 |title=''Acer pensylvanicum'' |volume=2017 |article-number=e.T193849A2285894 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T193849A2285894.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref> | status2 = G5 | status2_system = TNC | status2_ref = <ref>{{Cite web |title=NatureServe Explorer 2.0 |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.145579/Acer_pensylvanicum |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=explorer.natureserve.org}}</ref> | genus = Acer | parent = Acer sect. Macrantha | species = pensylvanicum | authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]] | range_map = Acer pensylvanicum range map.png | range_map_caption = Natural range | synonyms_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2616210|title=Acer pensylvanicum L. — The Plant List|website=www.theplantlist.org}}</ref> | synonyms = *''Acer canadense'' <small>Duhamel</small> *''Acer tricuspifolium'' <small>Stokes</small> }}
'''''Acer pensylvanicum''''', known as the '''striped maple''', '''whistlewood''', '''moosewood''', '''moose maple''' or '''goosefoot maple''', is a North American species of [[maple]]. It is a small, slow-growing [[understory]] [[tree]], and one of the most [[Shade tolerance|shade-tolerant]] species of maple. The striped maple is a [[Sequential hermaphroditism|sequential hermaphrodite]], meaning that it can change its sex throughout its lifetime. It is the only species of [[snakebark maple]] native to North America.
== Taxonomy == Striped maple was first described in 1753 by [[Swedes|Swedish]] [[biologist]] [[Carl Linnaeus]], based on a specimen collected in [[Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Linné |first=Carl von |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/84236 |title=Species plantarum: exhibentes plantas rite cognitas ad genera relatas, cum diferentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus, secundum systema sexuale digestas |last2=Linné |first2=Carl von |date=1753 |publisher=Junk |volume=t.2 (1753) |location=Berlin |page=1055}}</ref> The scientific name, ''pensylvanicum'', but means "of Pennsylvania". Although ''pensylvanicum'' is a misspelling, it is accepted as it was the originally used name when the plant was first described.
==Description== Striped maple is a large [[shrub]] or small [[deciduous]] tree growing to {{convert|5|–|10|m|ft|sp=us}} tall, with a trunk up to {{convert|20|cm|in|round=0.5|abbr=on}} in diameter.<ref name=w/> The shape of the tree is broadly columnar, with a short, forked trunk that divides into arching branches which create an uneven, flat-topped [[Crown (botany)|crown]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Acer pensylvanicum - Plant Finder |url=https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=275379&isprofile=0& |access-date=2025-08-13 |website=www.missouribotanicalgarden.org}}</ref>
The striped maple blooms in late spring, producing yellowish-green, bell-shaped [[Inflorescence|inflorescences]] that hang in long, slender clusters at the tips of branches.<ref>{{Cite PLANTS|symbol=ACPE|taxon=Acer pensylvanicum|access-date=2019-02-18}}</ref> It is most often [[dioecious]], but [[monoecy]] does occur. Striped maple trees are able to change sex, and appear to do so in response to environmental conditions. One study found that most changes were from male to female, with female trees being overall less vigorous and a significant proportion of female trees dying at the end of the growing season.<ref name=":0" /> [[File:Acer pensylvanicum 1219014.jpg|alt=The thin trunk of a juvenile striped maple tree. It is a dark, velvety green and has raised white ridges that create stripes.|left|thumb|Bark on a young ''Acer pensylvanicum'' in [[Michigan]], showing the distinctive white striping. ]] The young [[bark (botany)|bark]] is a smooth gray-green with prominent white vertical striping. With age, bark becomes a brownish or grayish green and the stripes darken and fade into a reddish-brown color. Striping may disappear entirely with age.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Minter |first=Miles |date=2010-01-06 |title=Striped Maple |url=https://kb.jniplants.com/striped-maple-acer-pensylvanicum |access-date=2025-08-13 |website=JNI Knowledgebase |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="w" />
The [[leaf|leaves]] are broad and soft, {{convert|8|–|15|cm|in|round=0.5|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|6|–|12|cm|in|round=0.5|abbr=on}} broad, with finely serrated edges and three shallow forward-pointing lobes. Leaves emerge in spring with pink tinges, mature into dark green in the summer, and then turn bright yellow in the fall.<ref name="w" />
The [[fruit]] is a [[samara (fruit)|samara]]. [[Seed]]s are about {{convert|27|mm|in|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|11|mm|in|abbr=on}} broad, with a wing angle of 145° and a conspicuously veined [[Pedicel (botany)|pedicel]]. Samaras ripen and disperse in late summer or early fall, changing in color from a faint red to tan or light brown.<ref name="w">{{Cite web |title=Virginia Tech Dendrology Fact Sheet |url=http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=4 |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=dendro.cnre.vt.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Striped Maple (Acer pensylvanicum) |url=http://www.carolinanature.com/trees/acpe.html |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=www.carolinanature.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin |url=https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ACPE |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=www.wildflower.org}}</ref>
==Distribution and habitat== The natural range of the striped maple extends from [[Nova Scotia]] and the [[Gaspé Peninsula]] of [[Quebec]], west to southern [[Ontario]], [[Michigan]], and [[Saskatchewan]]; south to northeastern [[Ohio]], [[Pennsylvania]], and [[New Jersey]], and along the Appalachian Mountains as far south as northern [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. It was introduced to England in 1760 as an ornamental plant, and into continental Europe shortly afterwards.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Striped Maple|url=http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/acer/pensylvanicum.htm|access-date=8 September 2014|archive-date=24 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824065101/http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/acer/pensylvanicum.htm}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map |url=http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Acer%20pensylvanicum.png |website=bonap.net}}</ref>
Striped maple can grow well in a variety of soils and will tolerate nutrient-poor, [[Leaching (agriculture)|leached soils]], but it is most commonly found on well-drained, moist, sandy [[Loam|loams]] and grows best on the shaded, cool northerly slopes of deep [[Valley|valleys]].
==Ecology== [[File:Acer pensylvanicum (goosefoot maple, striped maple), Ashford, CT (32047733011).jpg|thumb|left|''Acer pensylvanicam'' inflorescence in [[Ashford, Connecticut]]]] Striped maple is an understory tree of cool, moist forests, often preferring slopes. It is among the most shade-tolerant of [[deciduous trees]], and is well-adapted to heavy shade. It is capable of germinating and persisting for years as a small understory shrub, then growing rapidly to its full height when a gap opens up. However, it does not grow tall enough to become a canopy tree, and once the gap above it closes through [[ecological succession|succession]], it responds by flowering and fruiting profusely, and to some degree spreading by [[vegetative reproduction]].<ref>{{cite journal |first= D. E |last= Hibbs |author2=B. C. Fischer |title= Sexual and Vegetative Reproduction of Striped Maple ''(Acer pensylvanicum'' L.) |journal=Bull. Torrey Bot. Club |volume=106 |issue= 3 |pages=222– 227 |year=1979|doi=10.2307/2484558|jstor= 2484558 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Hibbs | first1 = D. E. | last2 = Wilson | first2 = B. F. | last3 = Fischer | first3 = B. C. | year = 1980 | title = Habitat Requirements and Growth of Striped Maple ''(Acer pensylvanicum'' L.) | journal = Ecology | volume = 61 | issue = 3| pages = 490–496 | doi=10.2307/1937413| jstor = 1937413 | bibcode = 1980Ecol...61..490H }}</ref>
Mammals such as [[moose]], [[deer]], [[Beaver|beavers]], [[Porcupine|porcupines]], and [[Rabbit|rabbits]] eat the twigs, buds, seeds, and bark, particularly during the winter.<ref>{{cite book|last=Little|first=Elbert L.|title=The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region|publisher=Knopf|location=New York|year=1980|isbn=0-394-50760-6|page=575}}</ref> [[Ruffed grouse]] eat the samaras and buds.<ref name=":1" /> [[Boreal woodland caribou|Woodland caribou]] browse it during summer months, and beavers will feed on striped maple when preferred species are not abundant.<ref name=":0" /> As an understory shrub or tree, striped maple provides habitat by creating vertical diversity in the forest canopy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Adirondack Trees: Striped Maple {{!}} Acer pensylvanicum |url=https://wildadirondacks.org/trees-of-the-adirondacks-striped-maple-acer-pensylvanicum.html |access-date=2025-08-13 |website=wildadirondacks.org}}</ref>
It is susceptible to [[Verticillium wilt]], caused by ''[[Verticillium albo-atrum]]'', and gray mold spot, caused by ''[[Cristulariella depraedans|Cristulariella depraedens]]''. A type of ''[[Pezicula]]'' trunk and branch [[canker]], ''[[Pezicula subcarnea]]'', appears to only attack striped maple. It can be subject to infestation by ''[[Agrilus politus]]'', a flatheaded borer beetle which forms stem [[Gall|galls]].<ref name=":0" />
Unique among trees and according to the USDA, the Striped maple is the only tree that is both fire resistant and also possesses a medium tolerance to fire<ref>https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ACPE/characteristics</ref>
== Conservation == Striped maple is classified by the IUCN as Least Concern, and by NatureServe as Globally Secure. It is classified in [[Wisconsin]], which is on the extreme western edges of its range, as being Critically Imperiled, being known from only a single location in [[Door County, Wisconsin|Door County]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trees of Wisconsin: Acer pensylvanica, striped maple |url=https://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity-old/herbarium/trees/Acepen01.HTM |access-date=2025-08-13 |website=www.uwgb.edu}}</ref> Overall, the population is believed to be large and well-distributed across its range. It may be threatened by the [[Asian long-horned beetle|Asian longhorned beetle]] (''Anoplophora glabripennis''), as their preferred hosts are maples, and infestation of striped maples by Asian longhorned beetle has been shown to cause increased mortality.<ref name=":0" /> [[Climate change]] may also pose a threat by reducing or otherwise altering the range and availability of suitable habitat; the species prefers cool summers, and does not tolerate heat or drought well.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Climate Change Atlas - Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/nrs/atlas/tree/315 |access-date=2025-08-13 |website=www.fs.usda.gov |language=en}}</ref> In the southernmost portions of its range, habitat fragmentation, forest management practices, and land-use conversion pose low-level threats to the species.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NatureServe Explorer 2.0 |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.145579/Acer_pensylvanicum |access-date=2025-08-13 |website=explorer.natureserve.org}}</ref>
== Cultivation == Striped maple is cultivated uncommonly as an [[ornamental plant]] for its unique striped bark and fall color. The most notable cultivar is 'Erythrocladium', which has bright coral or salmon-red colored twigs and a bright pink or reddish coloration to the bark in the wintertime. This cultivar was discovered in [[Germany]] around 1904, but is uncommon commercially due to difficulty propagating it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Acer pensylvanicum {{!}} Landscape Plants {{!}} Oregon State University |url=https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/acer-pensylvanicum |access-date=2025-08-13 |website=landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu}}</ref>
== Use == Striped maple has been used for [[Medicinal plants|medicinal]] and material purposes by several [[Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands|Northeastern Woodlands]] tribes. The [[Penobscot]] of Maine call it ''atohkímosi'', and use a [[poultice]] made from the steeped bark to relieve swelling of the limbs, as well as in compound infusions to treat coughing up of blood, kidney troubles, and [[venereal disease]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Speck |first=Frank G. |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100344222 |title=Medicine practices of the Northeastern Algonquians |date=1917 |publisher=International Congress of Americanists |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=310-311}}</ref> The [[Haudenosaunee]] use [[Decoction|decoctions]] including striped maple bark as an [[emetic]] and [[laxative]]. The [[Mi'kmaq]] call it ''wapoq'' and use decoctions of the bark for various respiratory issues and as a beverage.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chandler |first=R. Frank |last2=Freeman |first2=Lois |last3=Hooper |first3=Shirley N. |date=1979-01-01 |title=Herbal remedies of the maritime Indians |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0378874179900163 |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=49–68 |doi=10.1016/0378-8741(79)90016-3 |issn=0378-8741|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The [[Ojibwe]] use the bark as an emetic, and a northern [[Minnesota]] band of [[Ojibwe]], ''Zagaakwaandagowininiwag'' ([[Bois Forte Band of Chippewa]]), have also been recorded as using striped maple wood to make arrows and dice bowls.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Reagan |first=Albert B. |date=July 1928 |title=Plants Used by the Bois Fort Chippewa (Ojibwa) Indians of Minnesota |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/labaye/data/Plants%20Used%20by%20the%20Bois%20Fort%20Chippewa%20Indians%20of%20Minnesota%20-%20Wisconsin%20Archeologist,%20July%201928.pdf |journal=The Wisconsin Archeologist |volume=7 |issue=4 |pages=233-234}}</ref>
One of the common names, whistlewood, reflects the usage of bark and branches to carve [[Whistle|whistles]]. Colonial-era Canadian & American farmers reportedly fed [[cattle]] dried leaves in the winter and turned [[Horse|horses]] and cows into woodlands to browse on shoots and buds in the spring.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Acer pensylvanicum (Goosefoot Maple, Moosewood, Snakebark Maple, Striped Maple, Whistlewood) {{!}} North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox |url=https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/acer-pensylvanicum/ |access-date=2025-08-13 |website=plants.ces.ncsu.edu}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Commons category-inline}} * {{PFAF|Acer pensylvanicum}} * [http://www.plantmaps.com/nrm/acer-pensylvanicum-striped-maple-native-range-map.php Interactive Distribution Map of ''Acer pensylvanicum''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107111510/http://www.plantmaps.com/nrm/acer-pensylvanicum-striped-maple-native-range-map.php |date=2011-01-07 }}
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[[Category:Maple|pensylvanicum]] [[Category:Hardwood forest plants]] [[Category:Trees of Northern America]] [[Category:Flora of the Appalachian Mountains]] [[Category:Flora of Eastern Canada]] [[Category:Plants described in 1753]] [[Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]