Paperbark maple (Acer griseum) is a gorgeous deciduous tree. It’s so beautiful I assumed everybody knew about it. That’s until one of my workers asked me this winter if the tree was sick. No. it wasn’t sick! I laughed and quickly forgave him because he was born in Iran.
The bark
The bark on trees serves the same function as skin does on our bodies. Without bark trees would dry out.
Read more on tree bark in Peter Wohlleben’s excellent best-seller book “The Hidden Life of Trees“, chapter 11.
Most noteworthy on Acer griseum is its peeling cinnamon brown bark. The curling bark peels stay on the tree instead of falling to the ground. Their color contrasts with the brown bark on the stem.
Since the tree is free of leaves in winter the peeling bark totally captures our attention. I never get tired of it. Especially on a summer morning.
Details
Acer griseums are used as specimen trees on our strata sites. They are slow-growing and detest drought. Deep watering in summer is a good idea.
They grow easily in average, well-drained, slightly acidic soils. Their height averages 7.5-9 meters. The paperbark maple does best when it receives morning or evening sun.
Flowers and samaras
Acer griseum flowers between April and May but the flowers aren’t ornamentally significant. In other words, don’t expect to see showy spring flowers. It’s not much of a show.
As spring moves on flowers give way to samaras. We identify maples with these winged seeds. Acer griseum has samaras with unusually large seeds.
Paperbark maples are low maintenance trees. I always make sure they have nice, weed-free tree wells.
We also don’t tolerate branches touching buildings so that’s the main reason we would prune them. Other than that we don’t touch them.
Do you have Acer griseum at home or nearby? Go enjoy the peeling bark on a sunny winter morning or evening. It’s an extremely pleasant experience.
Reference: Best Plant Picks by Steve Whysall (Whitecap.ca)
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