Identification

• Striped maples are understory trees, or trees that grow in the shadow of larger trees. They usually reach heights between 15 and 20 feet; you can easily identify striped maples because their young branches have vertical, green-and-white stripes. The stripes are poorly-defined in older branches. Striped maples have uneven or irregular crowns and light-green, three-lobed leaves that turn yellow in the fall. The trees produce elongated, pendulous clusters of showy, yellow blossoms in late spring after the leaves have emerged. Dried seed pods called samaras replace the flowers.
  
  

Habitat

• Acer pensylvanicum trees grow in the shadow of sugar maples, white pines, red spruces, paper birches and pin cherry trees, among others. Their range extends from northern Georgia to southeastern Canada, and west to Michigan and Minnesota. They grow best in shade, and although slow-growing, they can become the dominant plant species in heavily-forested areas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Some researchers view striped maples as a problem species in the wild because they can choke out other, more desirable tree species.
  
  

Growing Requirements

• Striped maple trees are hardy in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 8. They prefer shady locations and well-drained, moist acidic soil. They propagate through cuttings or seeds. Some striped maples are male, while others are female; they can change their gender depending on the climate, so a striped maple tree may be female one year and male the next. These trees cannot adapt to excessive heat, pollution or drought conditions. One cultivar, Erythrocladum, offers winter visual interest with its bright-red stems and showy white stripes.
  
  

Liabilities

• The USDA Forest Service observes that striped maples have high mortality rates. A soil-borne fungus called Verticillium albo-atrum causes verticillium wilt, a disease that clogs up the tree's water transport system and causes wilting and dieback. Other diseases include Cristulariella leaf spot, anthracnose, and leaf blight. These trees can be difficult to cultivate in the residential landscape. Weed eaters and lawn mowers can easily damage their bark, and stressed trees develop canker diseases. Herbivorous mammals such as deer and rabbits feed on striped maple foliage.