Due to its striped bark it belongs to the so called “Snake Bark maples”. Young twigs are dark purple-red and retain this colour during winter. Older twigs and stem have greyish white stripes. The leaf of the young plant is ternate, those of the older trees are not lobed. Male and female flowers appear on one plant, it has a strongly branched and compact root system. The plant is suited to parks and large gardens.