Trees & woodland lore · Western North Carolina field companion
Trident maple
Acer buergerianum
Trident shaped green leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeBri Weldon ↗ · CC BY 2.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.
Tough small-to-medium tree with good bark and fall color; well-drained soil preferred.
Look for three main forward-pointing lobes. Young vigorous shoots may bear less typical leaves, so compare several.
More growing details
Read the bark
Older trunks exfoliate in small plates, revealing orange-brown patches.
Fruit & seed
Paired winged samaras support the maple identification.
Winter character
Opposite buds and small plated bark provide winter clues.
Origin & place
An introduced garden species or horticultural hybrid; study it as part of WNC landscapes rather than assume it belongs to the native mountain flora.
Compare with Red maple
Red maple has more conspicuous marginal teeth and commonly deeper sinuses; leaf variation makes multiple samples essential.
WNC Notes
Tough small-to-medium tree with good bark and fall color; well-drained soil preferred.
Sun Exposure
Full sun–part shade
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
20–35
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
20–30
BLOOM SEASON
Spring
BLOOM COLOR
Greenish
FALL / WINTER COLOR
Orange-red
Wet-Soil Tolerance
Moderate
Drought Tolerance
High
LOOK CLOSELY
Two views, a closer look.
Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.
Trident shaped green leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeBri Weldon ↗ · CC BY 2.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.Large flakey grey bark on a portion of a tree trunk — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeDalgial ↗ · CC BY-SA 3.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.
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