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Mountain maple

Acer spicatum

Also called Dwarf maple, Moose maple, White maple

Mountain maple
Photo: François André Michaux (book author), Augustus Lucas Hillhouse (translator), Pancrace Bessa (illustrator), Gabriel (engr, Public domain
Family
Sapindaceae (Soapberry & maple family)
Grows as
Tree
Native range
SC. & E. Canada, NC. & E. U.S.A.
Climate
temperate

About

Acer spicatum, the mountain maple, dwarf maple, moose maple, or white maple, is a species of maple native to northeastern North America from Saskatchewan to Newfoundland, and south to Pennsylvania. It also grows at high elevations in the southern Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.

Where it grows

The tree lives in moist woods in rich, well-drained soils on rocky hillsides and along streams. It also grows on ravines, cliff faces, and forested bogs. It colonizes the understory of hardwood forests.

Uses

The sap is a source of sugar and can be boiled to make maple syrup. The bark contains tannins, which are used in tanning leather. Indigenous peoples infused the piths of young twigs to produce treatments for eye irritation and made poultices from boiled root chips. It is also said to be used to relieve stress in humans. The wood has been a popular choice for making musical instruments because of its high strength and durability.

Other Acer plants

Tapering Leaf Maple · Acer alaskense · Himalayan Maple · Acer amamiense · Broad Maple · Deep-veined Maple · Acer ashwilli · Bearded maple · Jalisco Maple · Acer brevipes · Acer browni · Trident maple

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Acer spicatum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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