Because of its conspicuously striped bark A. davidii, together with A. capillipes and A. rufinerve, belong to the so-called “Snake Bark maples”. The young twigs are dark purple- red and retain this colour during winter. The older twigs and stem have conspicuously greyish white longitudinal stripes. The leaves are less prominently lobed and unlike A. capillipes the leaves of A. davidii are hairy on the under surface along the veins. The leaf of young plants is ternate, those of older trees do not have lobes. The flowers are unisexual, male and female flowers appear on one plant. The plant has a strongly branched and compact root system. The application of the plant is restricted to parks and larger gardens because it is less suitable for use in hard surfaces. This decorative tree will also stand out well in green borders.