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Paperbark maple bark11/18/2023 ![]() ![]() The Missouri Botanical Garden states that 95% of its seeds are found to be inviable (MBG, 2022). griseum is non-native, but its slow-growth and difficulty of propagation from seed mean the risk of an escapee is low. Driving around the snow covered arboretum/cemetery it was fairly easy to find again.Ī. The red tones of the bark stands out among all the gray of other trees, the snow, and even the headstones here. What I've tried (and probably failed) to capture below is how A. Lo and behold, we had over a foot of snow dropped on us this week. As I've been writing this up, I noted I had not gotten a photo of Paperbark Maple in the snow. Bold red fall color!Īnd let's not forget WINTER INTEREST. and the canopy was still full and green while other trees around had already dropped. The above photos were all taken on November 5, 2021. Be aware however, it can hold onto its green long into the fall. In fall the leaf color can become strikingly red, ranging from bronze-green to orangish and bright red. Even the buds look a little bristly, hairy, or exfoliated themselves! The underside of the leaf carries a blue-gray hue, giving rise to its name griseum which in latin means gray. ![]() The petioles are distinctly pubescent as you see in the photo above. The leaves are trifoliate with toothed leaflets which do not take on the stereotypical maple leaf shape.īut looking at the seeds, or samaras, and you can see the familiar “helicopter” seed shape. Considered easy to grow and low maintenance.Likes well-drained soils, cannot tolerate drought.Exfoliating Bark in brown, red, cinnamon tones.Trifoliate leaves, bronze to red fall colors but holds green late into the fall season.NOTE TO LANDSCAPERS! If you are installing an exfoliating specimen, please give your clients the heads up about its shaggy characteristics! I've had concerned calls into the Extension Office from worried homeowners who believed their tree was about to keel over, when in fact, it was just the bark maturing enough to begin peeling. The bark begins exfoliating around year 2 and stays attached to the trunk in curls. This provides depth and texture without making an awful mess under the tree. An added bonus for PB maple is that the bark clings to the trunk. PB maple bark is rich with warm tones of brown, reds, russet, and cinnamon. Sycamore, river birch, kousa dogwood, and dawn redwood are just a few other species that exhibit exfoliating bark. In species which exhibit this characteristic, exfoliating bark is a natural process whereby the outermost layer of bark peels or sheds, often revealing variations of color underneath. Unique leaves, beautiful fall color, lingering seeds, and of course, the real pièce de résistance, the exfoliating BARK. It has a lot going for it to make it the perfect tree for near a patio or framed by a window. It is a smaller understory tree and has four seasons of interest to keep you enthralled. Growing up in a sea of red, sugar, and silver maple here in NE Ohio, I had never seen a PB Maple in my neighborhood. But here one stands, right down the street from the Medina Extension office, and I have fallen head over heels. This past fall, while touring the recently accredited (2021) Arboretum at Spring Grove Cemetery of Medina, Ohio, I ran into a gorgeous example of the Paperbark Maple. Dirr states, “verbal descriptions cannot do justice…” (p.25). ![]() Michael Dirr in his ultimate guide, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants uses terms like handsome, splendid, striking, and "unmatched dignity” to describe A.griseum. Acer griseum is a gorgeous specimen for the landscape. ![]() We here at OSU Extension are supposed to present unbiased information… but this tree… THIS TREE… I’m a little smitten. ![]()
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