Acer pensylvanicum seed
LATIN NAME: ACER PENSYLVANICUM
COMMON NAME: Striped Maple, Moosewood, Snakebark Maple
The Acer pensylvanicum, or striped maple, is one of the most distinctive of the small maples, and its green, striped bark with the white vertical lines and its large, three-lobed leaves have made it a favourite of the cool woodlands and the shade gardens across the eastern North America. It grows as a small, deciduous tree or a large shrub of the maple family, reaching up to ten metres or more, with the distinctive green, striped bark marked by the white vertical lines which becomes more pronounced with age, bearing alternate, large, three-lobed, bright-green, finely-toothed leaves which turn to the soft yellows in the autumn, and bearing, in the spring, the small, yellow-green flowers in the hanging clusters, followed by the paired, winged seeds. It is a species of the flowering tree, native to the cool, moist woodlands of the eastern North America, while it has been cultivated in the gardens for its bark, and it is known as the striped maple, the moosewood or the snakebark maple.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The striped maple has a real and distinguished place in research. It has been studied in the horticulture and the ornamental-plant science, since the Acer pensylvanicum is prized for its distinctive striped bark and its graceful habit in the shade garden, and the researchers have examined its cultivation, its propagation and its value in the landscape, while the study of the snakebark maples has drawn attention in the international horticultural press. The plant has also been studied in the ecology and the forest science, since the striped maple is an important understory tree of the cool, moist woodlands, and the researchers have examined its role in the forest ecosystems and its response to the shade and the disturbance, while the study of the understory trees has been of continuing interest. The species has also been studied in botany, since it is a member of the maple family and a relative of the other maples, and its relationships, its distribution and its many forms have been examined, while the green, striped bark and the three-lobed leaves of the striped maple have been of interest to the botanists and the gardeners. For a tree of such distinction, the Acer pensylvanicum has a rich and distinguished record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
To grow the Striped Maple from seed, the striped maple is a small, deciduous tree of the cool woodlands, bearing the large, three-lobed, bright-green leaves and the distinctive green, striped bark with the white vertical lines. Its paired, winged seeds are eaten by the birds and the small animals, and its graceful, spreading habit gives a fine presence in the shade garden and the woodland edge, while its striped bark gives a winter interest in the landscape. Its economic value is real: the striped maple is prized as an ornamental tree for the shade garden and the woodland edge, and its value has drawn attention in the international horticultural press, while the distinctive bark and the graceful habit have made it a favourite of the cool-region gardens and the plant collections, and the tree is a fine addition to the shade garden, the woodland edge and the courtyard. To raise the striped maple, sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a cool, shaded place, keep them gently watered, and grow the little trees on in the light.
sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a cool, shaded place, keep the young maple gently watered, and grow the little trees on in the light.
Acer pensylvanicum Striped maple
leaf:
The leaves of Striped maple are lobed with 3 pointed lobes. The leaves are 8 – 15 cm (3.2 – 5.9 in) long and 6 – 12 cm (2.4 – 4.7 in) broad. The leaf margin is serrated.
bark:
The bark gives the tree its name. Striking are the bright stripes on the green bark especially on the younger wood.
The three-pointed “goosefoot” leaves can be up to .3m (1ft) wide. fall foliage: bright yellow
Zone: 3 to 7
Height: 15.00 to 25.00 feet
Spread: 12.00 to 20.00 feet
Bloom Time: April to May
Bloom Description: Yellow
Sun: Part shade
Medicinal use of : A tea made from the inner bark is used in the treatment of colds, coughs, bronchitis, kidney infections, gonorrhea and the spitting of blood. A wash is used externally on swollen limbs and as a wash for paralysis. A tea made from the leaves and twigs is used to both allay and induce vomiting, depending on the dosage.
Other uses of : The leaves are packed around apples, root crops etc to help preserve them. The wood is light, soft, close-grained and satiny, it weighs 33 lb per cubic foot. It is not used commercially, though it is sometimes used for fuel.
Propagation of : Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and then stratify for 2 – 4 months at 1 – 8C. It can be slow to germinate.