Striped Maple is a large shrub to a smaller tree, about 15 to 40 feet high, with a native range from Nova Scotia into south Quebec & Ontario to Upper Michigan, New England, New York, Pennsylvania, down the Appalachians into southern Tennessee in cool, moist, shaded situations and on mountain tops. I've seen some wild trees on Hawk Mountain north of Reading, PA. It is not common in most of its range, just found in some spots here and there. It is rare in landscapes, even in Pennsylvania. It must have shelter from strong sun and winds, and it grows in shade, even deep shade. It must have a good quality moist, acid soil with a pH range from 4.0 to 6.0; it might adapt up to 6.5. It grows slowly, about 6 to 9 inches/year, and lives about 150 years. The young bark is green with white stripes, thus the name. Older bark finally gets gray and scaly. The 3-lobed leaves are 5 to 6 inches long by 4 to 5 inches wide. The yellow flower clusters are borne in slender, drooping racemes about 4 to 6 inches long in late spring when leaves are nearly full grown. Staminate (male) and pistillate (female) flower clusters are separate, but both on the same tree. The paired samaras have the wings widely spread apart. The twigs and buds are smooth, without hairs. It develops good yellow fall color. It is a beautiful tree! It is sold by some native plant and specialty nurseries and some large, diverse, conventional nurseries.

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