Striped maple is a native, deciduous, tall shrub or small tree.
It has a short, forked trunk divided into a few ascending, arching branches, forming a broad but uneven, flat-topped to rounded crown. The sex ratio is male-biased. The fruit of striped maple is a two-winged sumara. Seed production begins at about 10 years of age, and large seed crops are produced every year. A small proportion of striped maples undergo gender change.