Mountain Maple, Acer spicatum Lam., Native Minnesota Tree, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

A shrub-like tree that will grow to no more than 25 feet, it grows in moist acidic soil as an understory tree. The flowers, appearing in mid to late May are greenish yellow and clustered on a narrow 3” to 6” high erect flower stem (a panicle). This upright spike like flower structure led to the species name spicatum. Twigs are greenish, reddish in winter, and have fine hair. Bark is thin, greenish when young becoming gray to grayish brown on thicker stems, but without the greenish-white stripes of Striped Maple, A. pensylvanicum. The typically 3-lobed maple-like leaves are opposite, 3 to 7" long and with somewhat coarse teeth (unlike A. pensylvanicum which has fine sharp teeth) and with sharp points to the 3 broadly v-shaped lobes. The fruit is a winged paired winged seed (a samara) where the seeds are at almost right angles to each other.

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Mountain Maple	Acer spicatum Lam.	Maple (Aceraceae)	Woodland	Spring
Other names and notes	A shrub-like tree that will grow to no more than 25 feet, it grows in moist acidic soil as an understory tree. The flowers, appearing in mid to late May are greenish yellow and clustered on a narrow 3” to 6” high erect flower stem (a panicle). This upright spike like flower structure led to the species name spicatum. Twigs are greenish, reddish in winter, and have fine hair. Bark is thin, greenish when young becoming gray to grayish brown on thicker stems, but without the greenish-white stripes of Striped Maple, A. pensylvanicum. The typically 3-lobed maple-like leaves are opposite, 3 to 7" long and with somewhat coarse teeth (unlike A. pensylvanicum which has fine sharp teeth) and with sharp points to the 3 broadly v-shaped lobes. The fruit is a winged paired winged seed (a samara) where the seeds are at almost right angles to each other.