• Photo of Acer triflorum (Acer triflorums)

Plant Profile: Acer triflorum

Names

Three-Flower Maple

  • Photo of Acer triflorum (Acer triflorums)

Phonetic Spelling:AY-ser try-FLOR-um

Genus:Acer

Species:triflorum

Family:Sapindaceae

Acer triflorum is a tree that is not commonly found, primarily due to challenges in its propagation. It adapts well to transplanting and thrives in moist, well-drained soil. This species provides moderate to dense shade and is often cultivated as an understory tree. When exposed to full sunlight, Acer triflorum develops a rounded and compact form, while in shaded conditions, it tends to grow upright and spread out.

Regarding pests, diseases, and other issues, Acer triflorum does not face significant threats. However, it does not tolerate alkaline soils, soil compaction, or overly wet conditions.

Acer triflorum Feature Summary

Acer triflorum Image Gallery

Tags

#deciduous
#yellow
#small tree
#shade tree
#full sun tolerant
#drought tolerant
#interesting bark
#specimen
#orange leaves
#wildlife plant
#pink flowers
#purple leaves
#moths
#shade tolerant
#yellow flowers
#tree
#maple
#winter interest
#understory tree
#easy to transplant
#pest resistant
#transplant
#gold leaves
#scarlet leaves
#nighttime garden
#larval host plant
#clay soils tolerant
#moth larvae
#pollinator garden
#woodlands
#imperial moth

Similar Plants

Acer triflorum is often confused with:

Acer triflorum Feature Summary

Attributes
Manchuria China, North and South Korea
Members of the genus Acer support Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed.
drought and clay soil tolerant; no serious pest problems; easy to transplant
Fruit
Samaras 1" long joined at a wide angle with a fat nutlet persists into winter
Flowers
Pink to greenish yellow cluster of 3 (hence the common name) flowers in April.
Pink
Gold/Yellow
Green
Leaves
Dark green somewhat fuzzy trifoliate leaf 3" long 1" wide with irregularly toothed margins; brilliant orange, scarlet, purple and gold fall color in October; one of the few trees to develop good fall color in shade.
Green
Gold/Yellow
Red/Burgundy
Orange
Purple/Lavender
Gold/Yellow
Orange
Red/Burgundy
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Elliptical
Entire
Serrate
Sinuate
1-3 inches
< 1 inch
Bark
This plant has warm, ashy light brown bark, peeling in long strips bark, to reveal cinnamon orange-brown (or cinnamon red) inner bark even at an early age.
Light Gray
Dark Brown
Light Brown
Orange
Red/Burgundy
Exfoliating
Peeling
Whole Plant Traits
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Acid (<6.0)
Good Drainage
Coastal
4a
4b
5b
5a
6a
6b
7a
7b
8b
8a
9a
9b
Stem
Brown/Copper
Green
Gold/Yellow
Landscape
Pollinator Garden
Winter Garden
Nighttime Garden
Shade Tree
Specimen
Drought
Insect Pests
Salt
Dry Soil
Patio
Walkways
Woodland
Small Space
Pollinators
Moths

Acer triflorum Attributes

Acer triflorum: Country Or Region Of Origin

Asia

Acer triflorum: Distribution

Manchuria China, North and South Korea

Acer triflorum: Wildlife Value

Members of the genus Acer support Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed.

Acer triflorum: Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems)

drought and clay soil tolerant; no serious pest problems; easy to transplant

Acer triflorum: Recommended Propagation Strategy

Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting

Acer triflorum Fruit

Acer triflorum: Fruit Description

Samaras 1" long joined at a wide angle with a fat nutlet persists into winter

Acer triflorum: Fruit Type

Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua

Acer triflorum: Display/Harvest Time

Fall
Spring
Summer
Winter

Acer triflorum: Fruit Length

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches

Acer triflorum Flowers

Acer triflorum: Flower Description

Pink to greenish yellow cluster of 3 (hence the common name) flowers in April.

Acer triflorum: Flower Color

filter_vintage
Gold/Yellow
filter_vintage
Green
filter_vintage
Pink

Acer triflorum: Flower Inflorescence

Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel

Acer triflorum: Flower Bloom Time

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Acer triflorum Leaves

Acer triflorum: Leaf Description

Dark green somewhat fuzzy trifoliate leaf 3" long 1" wide with irregularly toothed margins; brilliant orange, scarlet, purple and gold fall color in October; one of the few trees to develop good fall color in shade.

Acer triflorum: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Acer triflorum: Leaf Color

spa
Gold/Yellow
spa
Green
spa
Orange
spa
Red/Burgundy

Acer triflorum: Deciduous Leaf Fall Color

spa
Gold/Yellow
spa
Orange
spa
Purple/Lavender
spa
Red/Burgundy

Acer triflorum: Leaf Type

Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple

Acer triflorum: Leaf Arrangement

Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled

Acer triflorum: Leaf Shape

Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate

Acer triflorum: Leaf Margin

Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate

Acer triflorum: Hairs Present

No
Yes

Acer triflorum: Leaf Length

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Acer triflorum: Leaf Width

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Acer triflorum Bark

Acer triflorum: Bark Description

This plant has warm, ashy light brown bark, peeling in long strips bark, to reveal cinnamon orange-brown (or cinnamon red) inner bark even at an early age.

Acer triflorum: Bark Color

grass
Dark Brown
grass
Light Brown
grass
Light Gray
grass
Orange
grass
Red/Burgundy

Acer triflorum: Surface/Attachment

Bumpy
Exfoliating
Fissured
Furrowed
Lenticels
Papery
Patchy
Peeling
Ridges
Scaly
Shaggy
Shiny
Shredding
Smooth
Spongy

Acer triflorum Whole Plant Traits

Acer triflorum: Plant Type

Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower

Acer triflorum: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Acer triflorum: Habit/Form

Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping

Acer triflorum: Growth Rate

Slow
Medium
Rapid

Acer triflorum: Texture

Fine
Medium
Coarse

Acer triflorum Cultural Conditions

Acer triflorum: Light

Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

Acer triflorum: Soil pH

Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)

Acer triflorum: Soil Drainage

Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry

Acer triflorum: Available Space To Plant

12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet

Acer triflorum: NC Region

Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont

Acer triflorum: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

thermostat
4a
thermostat
4b
thermostat
5a
thermostat
5b
thermostat
6a
thermostat
6b
thermostat
7a
thermostat
7b
thermostat
8a
thermostat
8b
thermostat
9a
thermostat
9b

Acer triflorum: Soil Texture

Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky

Acer triflorum Stem

Acer triflorum: Stem Color

grass
Brown/Copper
grass
Gold/Yellow
grass
Green

Acer triflorum: Stem Is Aromatic

No
Yes

Acer triflorum Landscape

Acer triflorum: Landscape Theme

Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden

Acer triflorum: Design Feature

Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree

Acer triflorum: Resistance To Challenges

Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind

Acer triflorum: Landscape Location

Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland

Acer triflorum: Attracts

Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees