Plant Family: Sapindaceae
Growth Form: Shrubby tree less than five meters tall.
Leaves: Opposite, simple, with 3 – 5 pointed lobes, coarsely toothed; midribs often hairy on the underside.
Bark: Reddish brown to gray, smooth on younger trees, becoming rough and fissured with age; twigs with velvety hairs.
Flowers: Small, greenish yellow, held in upright racemes at the twig ends; appear in May or June after the leaves.
Fruits: Paired green samaras that turn an attractive pink by mid to late summer.
Habitat: Moist woods, mountain slopes and summits, may form thickets.
Range: Most common in northern New England, absent from Cape Cod and the southern coast; ranging west to the Great Lakes and north into Canada.
Similar Species: Striped Maple has smooth striped bark and larger leaves that are more finely toothed.
Comments: Mountain Maple is shade tolerant and may share habitat with Striped Maple, but unlike that species, it also does well in full sun, and is found at higher elevations; both are important browse plants for deer and moose.
