Maple - Chalk
MAPLE, CHALK White Bark Maple
Acer leucoderme (A-sir-loo-DER-me)
Deciduous Shade Height 15 – 30 feet Spread 10-15 feet Spacing 10 – 15 feet
HABIT: Small tree with a rounded top and beautiful foliage and golden and red fall color. Small, yellow flowers bloom in the spring-usually in April. The fruit, a winged seed, matures in September and is usually heavy and showy. Foliage appears at the same time that the flowers emerge and has pale hairs, which give a velvety feel to the underside of the leaves. The mature foliage usually droops.
CULTURE: Easy to grow in any moist soil but adapts to drier situations. Needs very little fertilizer but does respond to good conditions.
USES: Small to medium specimen or small area shade tree.
PROBLEMS: Few problems exist other than environmental stresses. Under the Basic Organic Program, it should be virtually pest-free. Lack of availability in the nursery trade is currently a common problem
NOTES: This is one of those well-adapted Texas maples that should be used quite a bit more. At the moment, availability at the nurseries is not great. As more people request the tree, availability will increase.
Search Library Topics Search Newspaper Columns