mountain maple

noun

a shrub, Acer spicatum, of eastern North America, having small, greenish-yellow flowers and winged fruit, the foliage turning to orange and scarlet in autumn.

Origin of mountain maple

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

On the broader shelves the mountain maple, the silver birch, and the hobble-bush secure a precarious foothold.
How to Know the Ferns | Frances Theodora Parsons
Close by, from the forked branches of a crimson-fruited mountain maple, hung the dainty, deserted nest of a vireo.
How to Know the Ferns | Frances Theodora Parsons
The underbrush is scanty; mountain maple is rather common, and there are a few young black ashes.
Notes on the Mammals of Gogebic and Ontonagon Counties, Michigan, 1920 | L. R. Dice
A scanty undergrowth of mountain maple and numerous sugar maple seedlings is present.
Notes on the Mammals of Gogebic and Ontonagon Counties, Michigan, 1920 | L. R. Dice
The mountain maple—the nurserymen call it Acer spicatum—is another native of rather dwarf growth.
Getting Acquainted with the Trees | J. Horace McFarland

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