Appearance

Growth form

It is a deciduous tree that can reach about 80 ft (25 m) in the wild.

Leaves

Most leaves have five to seven broad lobes with smooth edges. The undersides may be hairy or nearly smooth, depending on the subspecies.

Flowers

Clusters of small flowers appear in spring.

Fruit

Paired winged fruits are yellow to red as they develop. In its native range, they mature from September to October.

Look-alikes

Trident mapleAcer buergerianum

Trident maple usually has three forward pointing leaf lobes; painted maple usually has five to seven broader lobes. Check several leaves because both can vary.

Why they get mixed up · Both are Asian maples grown in U.S. gardens.

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• East Asian temperate forests
• arboretum collections

Range

The species grows naturally across East Asia. U.S. arboreta grow painted maples, including trees recorded as the mono subspecies in Boston, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Name and classification

About the name

Mono maple often refers to the mono subspecies of Acer pictum, which has also been called Acer mono. Painted maple refers to the broader Acer pictum species, including other subspecies.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

LCLeast Concern·Low risk of extinction