Appearance

Acer ginnala is a small tree that grows 15-20 ft. (4.5-6 m) in height. The bark of the tree is smooth and gray.

Foliage

The leaves are opposite and 1-3 in. (2.5-7.5 cm) long. They are 3-lobed, with the terminal lobe elongated. The margins of the leaves are doubly serrate. This plant leafs out early in the spring. The fall color of the leaves is usually red, but some are bright yellow.

Flowers

The yellow-white flowers appear from May-June, after the tree has leafed out, and are borne in long-peduncled panicles. These flowers, unlike those of most maples, are fragrant.

Fruit

The reddish fruit, which hang on the tree until late fall, have nearly parallel wings and are 0.75-1 in. (2-2.5 cm) long. The seeds of Acer ginnala are dispersed primarily by wind with the help of winged samaras.

Ecological Threat

Due to the specie's small size, fragrant flowers and attractive fall foliage (particularly when grown in full sun), Acer ginnala is desirable as an ornamental tree and continues to be sold and planted. As a result, it may continue to spread from cultivation into a variety of habitats. It is more shade tolerant than most maples, giving it the potential for spreading into intact forests.

Resources

• Tree Fact Sheet - University of Florida Environmental Horticulture
• Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service

Selected Images

Maps

Invasive Listing Sources

• City of Ann Arbor Michigan Parks and Recreation
• Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group
• Hoffman, R. & K. Kearns, Eds. 1997. Wisconsin manual of control recommendations for ecologically invasive plants. Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources. Madison, Wisconsin. 102pp.
• Maine Invasive Plants
• Minnesota Noxious Weeds
• Missouri SRISP Species List
• National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List
• New Hampshire Invasive Plant Species Watch List
• New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee. 2005. Guide to Invasive Upland Plant Species in New Hampshire. New Hampshire Department of Agriculture,  Markets and Food Plant Industry Division and New Hampshire Invasive Species Committee.
• New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team 2017 Invasive Species List
• Non-Native Invasive Plants of Arlington County, Virginia
• Non-Native Invasive Plants of the City of Alexandria, Virginia
• Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
• Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Invasive Plants
• Reichard, Sarah. 1994.  Assessing the potential of invasiveness in woody plants introduced in North America. University of Washington Ph.D. dissertation.
• Rhode Island Natural History Survey
• Vermont Noxious Weeds
• WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
• Wisconsin's Invasive species rule – NR 40

References