Practical
Plants

Acer pensylvanicum

Moosewood

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Acer genus in the family Aceraceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Aceraceae
Genus
Acer
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Height
4.5 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A tea made from the inner bark is used in the treatment of colds, coughs, bronchitis, kidney infections, gonorrhoea and the spitting of blood[6]. A wash is used externally on swollen limbs and as a wash for paralysis[6]. A tea made from the leaves and twigs is used to both allay and induce vomiting, depending on the dosage[6].

Product or use
Antiemetic
Product or use
Emetic
Product or use
Kidney
Product or use
Pectoral

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them[2][4]. The wood is light, soft, close-grained and satiny, it weighs 33lb per cubic foot[11][9]. It is not used commercially, though it is sometimes used for fuel[7].

Product or use
Preservative

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia to Georgia, west to Michigan.
Habitat
Moist rich woodlands, often by water, from sea level to 1,000 metres[5][8]. Usually in the shade of other trees and occasionally forming a large part of the shrubby undergrowth[11].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 3+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the following spring. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and then stratify for 2 - 4 months at 1 - 8°c. It can be slow to germinate. The seed can be harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it has dried and produced any germination inhibitors) and sown immediately. It should germinate in late winter. If the seed is harvested too soon it will produce very weak plants or no plants at all[10][1]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until they are 20cm or more tall before planting them out in their permanent positions. Layering, which takes about 12 months, is successful with most species in this genus. Cuttings of young shoots in June or July. The cuttings should have 2 - 3 pairs of leaves, plus one pair of buds at the base. Remove a very thin slice of bark at the base of the cutting, rooting is improved if a rooting hormone is used. The rooted cuttings must show new growth during the summer before being potted up otherwise they are unlikely to survive the winter. Grafting is not usually advised for this species, though any cultivars can be grafted onto rootstocks of the species.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Of easy cultivation, it prefers a sunny position or light dappled shade and a good moist well-drained soil but succeeds on most soils, especially those on the acid side, and dislikes alkaline soils[3][5]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Plants are hardy to about -25°c when they are fully dormant[5]. A good tree for street planting[5]. Most maples are bad companion plants, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants[2][4].

References

  1. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

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  2. Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979-00-00

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  3. Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2

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  4. Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978-00-00 ISBN 0-88266-064-0

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  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

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  6. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0889025649

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  8. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

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  9. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

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  10. McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-901361-21-6

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  11. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

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