Other Names:  Whitebark Maple

Description:

A southern sub-species of sugar maple, with multiple trunks, featuring attractive, smooth, chalky-surfaced bark, and brilliant fall leaf color; a small tree, with a nicely rounded crown and slender branches; an excellent screen, or landscape accent tree

Ornamental Features

Chalk Maple has rich green foliage with chartreuse undersides on a tree with an oval habit of growth. The small lobed leaves turn outstanding shades of orange, red and yellow in the fall. However, the fruit can be messy in the landscape and may require occasional clean-up. The smooth gray bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Chalk Maple is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous tree with a shapely oval form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It is a good choice for attracting birds, butterflies and squirrels to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Chalk Maple is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade
• Hedges/Screening

Planting & Growing

Chalk Maple will grow to be about 30 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 100 years or more; think of this as a heritage tree for future generations!

This tree performs well in both full sun and full shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. This plant does not require much in the way of fertilizing once established. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is native to parts of North America.