Paperbark maple

Basic Information
Tree ID: 
199
Family: 
Sapindaceae
Genus and species: 
Acer griseum
Description: 
Originating from the mountainous regions of central China, the paperbark maple is a small deciduous tree characterized by its highly textured trunk. It typically grows to a height of 6 to 9 meters with a matching canopy spread. Unlike most maples, its leaves are split into three distinct leaflets and its trunk continuously sheds thin papery layers of bark to expose a vibrant cinnamon-colored underlayer. The tree prefers well-drained, moist soils and grows best in full sun to partial shade. Due to poor natural seed viability and habitat loss, the paperbark maple is currently considered an endangered species in its native environment. However, it is widely cultivated and protected as an ornamental landscape tree across North America and Europe.
Surveyors: 
Bryan Truong and Fareed Salmon
Location
Area: 
Prospect and Sachem
Collected Data
Tree shape: 
Oval
Date of tree entry: 
02/03/2026
Height: 
4.10 m
Diameter at breast height: 
0.12 m

Bark
The trunk and older branches of the paperbark maple feature distinctive cinnamon-red to copper bark that continuously curls and peels away in thin papery sheets. Unlike some trees that shed bark entirely to the ground, these translucent curled layers typically stay attached to the wood and create a multi-colored surface.
Twigs & branches
The younger twigs of the tree start out as a smooth purplish-brown color and often possess a velvety fuzz. As the branches mature and thicken over the years they begin to develop the same papery peeling characteristics as the main trunk, extending the copper texture outward into the tree's canopy [1].
Foilage
Unlike the usual lobed leaves of most maple species, the paperbark maple features compound leaves consisting of three separate coarsely toothed leaflets. The top surface of the foliage is a dark green which contrasts with the underside of the leaves which are a frosty grayish-blue tint [2].
Reproductive Structures
The tree produces small, yellow-green flowers, usually appearing with emerging leaves in the spring. The flowers appear in delicate, dropping clusters of 3 flowers on slender, hairy stalks. Each flower has 5 sepals and 5 petals, 10 stamens with yellow anthers, and its fleshy nectar-producing disk attracts insect pollinators called bees. The tree is also polygamous, with a mixture of flowers that have female and male parts and purely male flowers. The female part of the flower has 2 carpels and a 2-chambered ovary surrounded by silk hairs; when pollinated, there ovary can develop into the samara [1].
Fruit
Paperback maples don't have produce the edible fruits we think of, like apples or berries. They produces samaras, which are dry, winged, propeller-like structures. The samara's seeds are known as helicopter seeds because they spin as they fall from the tree, with each samara having one seed. The seed is enclosed in a rounded, hairy nutlet [3].
Seasons
  • Winter 2
  • Winter
  • Summer
  • Late Spring
  • Fall
  • Early Spring
Research
Natural range of distribution: 
Habitat: 
The paperback maple Is usually in the deciduous mountain forests of Central China; it's usually beneath taller species and usually occupies mountain slopes, valley sides, and ravines. Temperatures are usually cool and the rainfall is moderate. The soil of the tree is rocky and well-drained as it derives from limestone. The tree is usually next to other deciduous trees like oaks, hornbeams, and other maples as well as other shrubs. The climate of the tree involves warm, wet summers with cold, dry winters consistent with a continental monsoonal app tern. The tree likes to grow in open-canopy where light can penetrate so it can grow best. The tree is usually scattered as well. The tree however, also populates places outside of china, like the US like New England and the Pacific Northwest with its cool winters, moderate summers, and reliable rainfall. This mirrors the climate of its natural habitat [4].
Origin, history, and uses: 

The paperback maple is a relict species; it evolved in the temperate mountain forests in central China with a specific ecological niche as a mid-canopy tree in the deciduous woodlands. Because it has poor seed viability, many experts believe that the species might actually be in long-term natural decline. The trees were first described the Australian botanist Rudolf Winkler in 1904; however, Ernest Henry Wilson popularized the tree; during his China expeditions, he recognized how ornamental the tree was and collected specimens. Boston’s Arnold Arboretum was the first Wester institution to grow the tree successfully; the from the arboretum, it move gradually into broader habitats, like botanical gardens across North America [5]. Some of its uses include the ornamental planting; it’s grown as a tree in many public landscapes in the temperate world like gardens, arboreta, and parks. Its bark is its main attraction and its leaves make it look spectacular. It’s also used for conservation collections to be painted as a part of a program to preserve threatened tree species. It’s also used for winter garden design, as landscape designers like to use it because of its bark and warm color provides visual interest during the winter.

Phenology: 
In the winter, between December and February, the tree is dormant with no leaves, no growth, and cinnamon bark peels. The buds are also small and covered in scales; however, the tree can tolerate the freezing temperatures. In early spring (March), flower buds open alongside leaves emerging; the small yellowish-green flowers appear in the 3-flowered clusters. Pollination also ensues. In late spring, in April and May, leaves are fully expanded and transition to mature mid-green color on the upper surface; the tree is in full bloom and the fertilized ovaries begin to develop into smarts, which are small at this stage. In the summer, the tree gets into full growth; the trunk thins during this period and the samaras develop and enlarge and the foliage remains mid-green. In early Autumn, the foliage changes color, with shades of orange, red, and scarlet. The smarts ripen fully, turning brown, and released to be wind-carried. By late Autumn, the leaves are shed and the tree becomes leafless as the tree enters dormancy [1]
References: 

1: Xu, T.Z., Chen, Y.S., de Jong, P.C., Oterdoom, H.J., & Chang, C.S. (2008). Aceraceae. In Wu, Z.Y., Raven, P.H., & Hong, D.Y. (Eds.), Flora of China, Vol. 11 (pp. 515–553). Science Press / Missouri Botanical Garden Press.

2: Grimshaw, J. Acer griseum. Trees and Shrubs Online. International Dendrology Society. https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/acer/acer-griseum/

3: Liao, Z. et al. (2023). Evolution of samara morphology in Acer L. (Sapindaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 209(4), 396. https://academic.oup.com/botlinnean/article/209/4/396/8111491

-Foilage Photo: https://www.thespruce.com/growing-the-paperbark-maple-acer-griseum-3269319

-Fruit Photo: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/acer-griseum/

-Flower Photo: http://amycampion.com/paperbark-maple-a-must-have-specimen-tree/

4: Xia, Xinhe, Xuedan Yu, Yuxia Wu, Jia Liao, Xinyue Pan, Yongqi Zheng, and Chuanhong Zhang. 2025. “Orogeny and High Pollen Flow as Driving Forces for High Genetic Diversity of Endangered Acer Griseum (Franch.) Pax Endemic to China.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences 26 (2): 574–74. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26020574.

5: Aiello, Anthony S. 2016. “Acer griseum in Cultivation and in the Wild.” The Plantsman 15 (4): 250–255. https://www.publicgardens.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/The-Plantsman-Dec16-Acer-griseum.pdf.

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Media and Arts
AttachmentSize
Image icon image-7.png1.99 MB
Shrub Canopy Area: 
15.68sq.m.

Comments

Bryan Truong on April 20, 2026: