Acer leucoderme Chalk Maple - photo by UGA Herbarium

Common Name:

Chalk Maple

Higher Taxa:

Order: Sapindales

Family: Aceraceae

Genus: Acer

Species: Acer leucoderme

Identification:
The Chalk Maple is a small tree often with multiple stems, occasionally reching 40' in height and 8-10" diameter. It is closely related to Sugar Maple, but the leaves are smaller, 2-3.5" across, ussually pale yellow-green with varying degrees of pubescence underneath. The bark is smooth and light gray to chalky-white on the upper-trunk, but becomes furrowed and turns dark brown almost black near the ground on older trees (Brown, C.L. and Kirkman, K.L.).

Geography:
The Chalk Maple is generally found on rocky river banks, woods and cliffs. It is very common on the inner edge of the Coastal Plain and Peidmont regions of Georgia. The Chalk maple is also common in LA., Ark., and N.C..

Natural History:
March- April; May -Sept. Rocky woods; chiefly piedmont[Va., Ga., Fla., Ala., Tenn.] (Radford, Albert E. and Ashles, Harry E.)

How to Encounter:
Young trees up to a few inches in diameter remain gray and smooth and are difficult to distinguish from other maples. The Chalk maple has more pointed lobe tips, with the lobes narrower at the apex than at the base. Chalk Maple occurs in moist ravines and along slopes. In Georgia, it is mostly restricted to the piedmont regions. The Chalk Maple is common in the "wooded area" at Sam's Farm, Athens, GA.

References:

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