The name moosewood was given to it by the country people in Maine, as the moose in the woods invariably strip it for the sweet juice in the tender young shoots in winter, when there is little for them to eat.
The Latin name Acer pennsylvanicum—Pennsylvanian maple—was given to it by Linnæus.
The moosewood is found throughout the North Atlantic States growing in rich woods under taller trees.
Mountain Maple Acer spicatum
This is a shrub about eight feet high, found commonly in the mountains and hills of New England, and like the moosewood seldom found growing out of the forest. It is easily distinguished by its gray bark and pink stems covered with a delicate gray bloom, and the clusters of dried fruit left hanging on the stems.
Acer spicatum—spiked maple—refers to the spike-like clusters of flowers.
Ash-leaved Maple; Box Elder Acer negundo
A small or medium-sized tree with yellowish green or reddish brown smooth stems and opposite V-shaped, narrow leaf-scars. The buds are gray and downy and covered with two pairs of scales.
This tree is found wild in Vermont and Pennsylvania, southward and westward in lowland woods, and is more or less cultivated throughout New England.
