Black Maple is rare in North Carolina, found in only a few locations in the mountains, particularly along riverside slopes with calcareous rock.

The leaves are quite similar to those of the more common Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), but are usually yellowish-green and pubescent beneath, while those of Sugar Maple are usually glaucous and glabrous beneath. The leaves tend to be more 3-lobed, slightly droopier, and darker green above than Sugar Maple. Stipules may be present at the base of the petiole, lacking in Sugar Maple.

French Broad River, Madison Co., NC 5/11/08.

The leaves even more closely resemble those of Chalk Maple (Acer leucoderme), a much smaller tree with smaller leaves that is uncommon in the Piedmont in North Carolina. The bark is pale gray when young, becoming darker, sometimes blackish, with age.

French Broad River, Madison Co., NC 5/11/08.