bearded maple (Acer barbinerve) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Bearded maple is a small tree native to East Asian mountain forests, named for the hairs where the veins meet on the undersides of its leaves. In the United States, bearded maple is mainly grown in botanical collections.

Appearance

Growth form: Usually a small, often multi-stemmed deciduous tree.
Leaves: The leaves usually have five pointed lobes and coarse teeth. Look for hairs where the veins meet on the underside.
Fruit: Its paired, winged fruits hang in small clusters.

Look-alikes

Korean butterfly mapleAcer komarovii

Both have lobed leaves. Bearded maple has fine hairs on young twigs; Korean butterfly maple has slender, nearly hairless twigs and often purple leaf stalks.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: East Asian mountain forests
U.S. arboretums
Range: Native to Korea, northeastern China, and the Russian Far East.

Growing it

Care: This maple is mainly seen in botanical collections rather than ordinary U.S. landscaping.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction

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