Mountain maple is a large shrub or small tree, and is also sometimes known as low maple, moose maple, water maple, and moosewood. It is a common understory plant and is often found growing on moist, rocky , upper elevation sites.

· Virginia Tech Dendrology Fact Sheet for Mountain Maple

Description:
Mountain maple is a small, bushy tree, reaching heights of about 20 feet. It has a short trunk and rarely is more than six inches in diameter. Small, upright branches may for a rounded crown, but it is most frequently a straggling shrub. Bark is thin, red-brown in color and smooth or slightly furrowed. Twigs are reddish in color.

Leaves of the mountain maple are arranged opposite along the twig, 4-5 inches long and 3 to 4 inches wide, with three lobes. Leaves are dark green above, and covered with whitish fuzz underneath.

The tree flowers in May or June, and flowers are small and yellow-green in color, and occur along an erect stalk.

Habitat:
Mountain maple is an understory component in a number of northeastern forest types. It is typically found scattered in the shrub layer of climax forest types, such as sugar maple and spruce/fir. It is most common in upper elevations.
In the north, mountain maple prefers rich, moist soils on rocky slopes and flats, and along streams. Mountain maple also grows well on drier, or well-drained acid soils.

Uses:
Because of its small size and shrub-like characteristics, mountain maple is not used for commercial wood products.
Mountain maple is commonly eaten by white-tailed deer, moose, snowshoe hair, and beaver.

The Handbook of Vermont Trees, Burns & Otis, Bulletin 194, VT Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Vermont, 1916.

Sullivan, Janet. 1993. Acer spicatum. In: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (2003, March). Fire Effects Information System, [Online].