Family
Aceraceae
Botanical Name
ACER leucoderme
Plant Common Name
Chalk Maple, White-barked Maple
Special Notice
This entry has yet to be reviewed and approved by L2G editors.
General Description
In regions where the sugar maple falters because of intense summer heat or dry soils, the chalk maple may prove a worthy substitute. Native to the understory of the woods across the American Southeast, from eastern Texas and Oklahoma eastward to the Florida Panhandle and the Carolinas, the chalk oak can develop with a single trunk or multiple trunks. It always displays low branches and creates an upright, rounded silhouette.
Tiny yellow flower occur in spring, followed by green leaves with five rather blunt pointed lobes. Leaf undersides are yellow-green, which distinguishes it from the whitish undersides of leaves on the similar looking southern sugar maple (Acer barbatum). The seeds, known as samaras, mature to a yellow to sienna color. In autumn, the leaves change to shades ranging from yellow and orange to classic sugar maple red. Once the leaves fall away, the smooth bark best reveals its attractive whitish or gray coloration in ridges or blotches.
The chalk maple is a good option for a partially shaded area as a colorful shade tree. In more sun the soil must be irrigated, but it tolerates dryness well in the shady understory of a woodland garden. It excels in acidic, well-drained soils that are sandy loams. Slower growing that the southern sugar maple, chalk maple also is more unpredictably variable in its display of fall foliage. Some plants are boldly attractive while others fail to create the intense colors so many gardeners want in a maple tree.
Characteristics
-
AHS Heat Zone
9 - 5
-
USDA Hardiness Zone
5 - 9
-
Sunset Zone
3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17
-
Plant Type
Tree
-
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial Shade
-
Height
20'-30' / 6.1m - 9.1m
-
Width
20'-30' / 6.1m - 9.1m
-
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring
-
Native To
United States, Southeastern United States, Texas
Ornamental Features
-
Flower Interest
Insignificant
-
Flower Color
Yellow Green
-
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Salmon, Sienna
-
Foliage Color (Spring)
Green, Dark Green
-
Foliage Color (Summer)
Dark Green
-
Foliage Color (Fall)
Yellow, Red, Orange, Gold, Orange Red
-
Bark Color
White, Gray, Silver
-
Fragrant Flowers
No
-
Fragrant Fruit
No
-
Fragrant Foliage
No
-
Bark or Stem Fragrant
No
-
Flower Petal Number
Single
-
Repeat Bloomer
No
-
Showy Fruit
Yes
-
Edible Fruit
No
-
Showy Foliage
Yes
-
Foliage Texture
Medium
-
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
No
-
Showy Bark
Yes
Special Characteristics
-
Bark Texture
Smooth
-
Usage
Shade Trees
-
Sharp or Has Thorns
No
-
Invasive
No
-
Self-Sowing
No
