| Chalk Maple is similar to Southern Sugar Maple (Acer floridanum), but is smaller, often multi-trunked, and has leaves that are yellow-green instead of whitish underneath. The leaves often droop at the tips, looking a little like Black Maple or even English Ivy. Chalk Maple is rare and usually found in rocky areas, while Southern Sugar Maple is fairly common and usually found in bottomlands. White Pines Preserve, Chatham Co., NC 5/18/05.
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| The undersides of the leaves are yellowish-green and fuzzy. The color of the leaf undersides is the easiest way to tell Chalk Maple from Southern Sugar Maple. Chatham Co., NC 5/18/05.
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| Another example from Chatham Co., NC. Though the leaf shape is somewhat distinctive, some Southern Sugar Maple leaves look like this, too.
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| Detail of leaf underside. The undersides are covered with tiny yellowish glands. The hairs themselves are actually whitish. White Pines Nature Preserve, Chatham Co., NC 11/1/08.
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| Like other maples, the fruits are in paired samaras (keys). Chatham Co., NC 5/18/05.
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| Durham Co., NC.
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| The name Chalk Maple comes from the bark, which is usually smooth and pale gray, sometimes chalky-white. As you can see in this photo od a large tree, the bark itself it actually gray - the white color comes from a species of lichen. Morrow Mountain State Park, Stanly Co., NC 4/17/11.
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| Morrow Mountain State Park, Stanly Co., NC 4/17/11.
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| Mecklenburg Co., NC.
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| Here's an example of chalky-white bark on a small tree. Chatham Co., NC 5/18/05.
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| Bark of a medium-sized tree. Chatham Co., NC.
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| The bark on small trees is sometimes broken instead of smooth. Chatham Co., NC 5/18/05.
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| Bark of a medium-sized tree. Chatham Co., NC 5/18/05.
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| Trees are often multi-trunked. Morrow Mountain State Park, Stanly Co., NC 4/17/11.
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More information:
Discover Life
Trees of Alabama and the Southeast
Recommended Tree, Shrub, and Woody Vine Identification Guides
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