Chalkbark Maple. This native southern U.S. species is sometimes listed as a subspecies of Acer saccharum, Sugar Maple, and it has outstanding fall color. This native maple is one of the best but under-used medium sized trees that we have. The leaves resemble Sugar Maple in all respects except that they are half to a third the size, and the fall color will surpass that of Sugar Maple with golds, oranges and reds, which can be seen on adjacent plants in its native habitat. It is found on dry woodland sites throughout the Southeast in restricted pockets as an understory tree of 25-30' tall. It performs best when grown in filtered sun. The bark is not overly "chalky" with the fall color being its greatest asset. There are two national champion trees, both being found here in SC in the Sumter National Forest, not far from here, with the largest 57' high. We hope to introduce the first named cultivar of this species in a few years. It is a seedling from one of our seed batch collections. The new growth is a soft pink and hardening off to a silvery color. Really striking. The range map courtesy of U. S. Forest Service.
Zones 5-9
