In Maryland, Mountain Maple is relegated to Garret County and western Allegany County. It is a small, understory tree that is native to the northeastern United States, southeastern Canada, and along the Appalachians to Georgia.
Mountain Maple can easily be confused with Striped Maple. The leaves of Mountain Maple, however, tend to be smaller and narrower than those of Striped Maple, and they are more shallowly lobed. Also, the bark of young Mountain Maple lacks the greenish color and white vertical stripes of Striped Maple. The flowers of both species are spikes that appear after the leaves in spring, but the spikes of Mountain Maple are in erect panicles, whereas those of Striped Maple are in drooping racemes. The fruits (samaras) of Mountain Maple are small, red or yellow, and their wings meet at about a 90-degree angle (angle is usually larger in Striped Maple). Flowering is May-June, fruit ripening is July-August (Brown and Brown, 1972).
Host plant for various moth species including Serviceberry Leafroller Moth, American Dagger Moth, and Banded Tussock Moth (Database of World's Lepidopteran Host Plants; Gilligan, Wright, & Gibson, 2008).
There are 30 records in the project database.
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