Acer ginnala is sometimes considered to be a shrub and is usually less than 5 or 6 meters tall and much branched. As in all of the Wisconsin maples (except Acer negundo, with compound leaves) the leaves are simple, opposite and lobed. It is the only one of the simple-leaved maples for which the leaves are clearly longer than wide and the terminal lobe is much longer than the lateral lobes, often twice as long or more. The samaras are about 2.5 cm long and the wings are nearly parallel.

Acer ginnala is primarily a horticultural species in Wisconsin and it occasionally escapes to nearby sites. It escapes more commonly than is indicated by the map, but usually to disturbed urban sites and it does not appear to pose a problem as an invasive species.