Paperbark Maple

Acer griseum

Family

Sapindaceae

Genus

Acer

About Our Collection

Fun Facts

  • The Arnold Arboretum is home to the two oldest specimens of paperbark maple in North America, collected in China as seedlings and planted in 1907.

  • Like most species of maples, paperbark maple has complicated gender systems in its flowers. This species is “trioecious,” meaning that a single tree may have male (pollen-producing) flowers, female (seed-producing) flowers, and hermaphrodite flowers.

  • The Arnold Arboretum has an extensive collection of maples (Acer spp.), containing 141 of the approximately 230 botanical taxa from around the world. Because of its diverse and numerous holdings of wild-collected maples, the Arnold Arboretum is designated as one of the Plant Collection Network’s maple collection sites.

  • This species’ luminous peeling bark is best experienced in winter on sunny days–a reminder that visiting the Arnold Arboretum in the winter can be just as dramatic as in the spring, summer, or fall.

  • Paperbark maple frequently exhibits parthenocarpy, or the production of fruit without the prior process of fertilization, resulting in fruits lacking viable seeds. This species is especially difficult to propagate for this reason.

Stats

Living Specimens
Specimens Dead or Removed
First Addition
Most Recent Addition
Tallest Specimen

25 Living Specimens

Plant ID Accession Date Received As Origin Source