Plant
Striped Maple
Acer pensylvanicumAlso known as Moosewood, Whistlewood, Goosefoot Maple, Moose Maple
Striped maple thrives in the deep shade of northern hardwood forests, unfurling broad, three-lobed leaves designed to capture scarce filtered sunlight beneath a dense canopy. Its distinctive smooth bark features vivid vertical white fissures over green wood, providing striking year-round camouflage and giving the tree its snakebark title. Trees routinely switch their sexual expression between male and female states across different growing seasons in response to canopy light levels and physical stress.
DeciduousUnderstoryNative Tree
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyAutotrophic (photosynthesis)
Predators
- Moose
- White-tailed Deer
- North American Porcupine
ThreatsExcessive deer browsing, fungal canker, and climate change
HabitatsCool, moist deciduous forests, rocky ravines, and mountain slopes
Life span40–100 years
Classification
- OrderSapindales
- FamilySapindaceae
- GenusAcer
- SpeciesAcer pensylvanicum
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Bark Identification: Look for smooth green bark laced with bold vertical white stripes on young trunks.
- Leaf Shape: Inspect foliage for wide, three-lobed leaves that resemble the webbed foot of a goose.
Herbivore Paxson Woelber / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Canopy Associate (c) James St. John, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Herbivore USDA photo by Scott Bauer / Public domain · cc0
Close Relative (c) Keith Kanoti, Maine Forest Service, Bugwood.org, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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