Kruckeberg Botanic Garden Plant of the Month – Pére David’s Maple

Acer davidii.  Photo by Sarah Baker.

By Sarah Baker, Garden Director

Pére David’s maple (Acer davidii), also known as a stripebark or snakebark maple, is appreciated at the Garden for its golden fall color. With alternating green and white stripes, the plant’s eye-catching bark is its other notable feature. Acer davidii belongs to a group of maples collectively referred to as snakebark maples that are characterized by their striped bark in varying shades of green, light pink, white and brown.

This Chinese native was named for Pére Armand David, a French Catholic priest sent to China in the 1860’s. Though he went as a missionary, he also began to collect specimens for the natural history museum in Paris and brought numerous Chinese plants and animals to the attention of western science. He has other plants named for him as well, including the Chinese white pine (Pinus armandii) and dove tree (Davidia involucrata).

Pere David’s maple grows well in our climate. It prefers full to partial sun and tolerates various soil types. It is fast growing when young, slowing as it reaches its ultimate height of 30-50 feet. Plant it where the bark can be appreciated up close, and where the plant’s pendulous seed clusters can be viewed higher in the tree. Acer davidii shares space at the Garden with two other snakebark maple species. They readily hybridize, producing seedlings that are often a mysterious mix of parentage.

Want to learn more about maples? Join our Maples Tour at the Garden on September 23. See the Kruckeberg website for more information.