Acer buergerianum
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| Acer buergerianum | ||||||||||||||
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 Foliage of a young tree
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| Acer buergerianum Miq. |
Acer buergerianum (Trident Maple; Chinese: 三角枫 san jiao feng) is a species of maple native to eastern China (from Shandong west to southeastern Gansu, south to Guangdong and southwest to Sichuan) and Taiwan.[1][2]
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[edit] Description
It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree reaching a height of 5-20 m with a trunk up to 50 cm diameter. The leaves are in opposite pairs, 2.5-8 cm long (excluding the 2-5 cm petiole) and 3.5–6.5 cm broad, hard, glossy dark green above, paler below, usually with three lobes; on mature trees the lobes forward-pointing and with smooth margins, on young trees with more spreading lobes and serrated margins. The flowers are produced in spring, yellow-green, in pendulous corymbs; they are small, with five greenish sepals and five yellow-white petals about 2 mm long, and eight stamens. The fruit is a samara with two winged seeds, each seed 4-7 mm diameter, with a 15 mm wing; the wings are forward-pointing and often overlapping each other.[1][3][4]
The species is variable, and a number of varieties have been described:[1]
- Acer buergerianum var. buergerianum. Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shandong, Zhejiang.
- Acer buergerianum var. jiujiangense Z.X.Yu. Jiangxi.
- Acer buergerianum var. horizontale F.P.Metcalf. Southern Zhejiang.
- Acer buergerianum var. formosanum (Hayata ex Koidzumi) Sasaki. Taiwan (endemic).
- Acer buergerianum var. kaiscianense (Pampanini) W.P.Fang. Gansu, Hubei, Shaanxi.
- Acer buergerianum var. yentangense W.P.Fang & M.Y.Fang. Zhejiang.
A few trees have consistently unlobed leaves; these were first described as a variety A. trifidium var. integrifolium Makino (A. trifidium is an old synonym of A. buergerianum), but are now not distinguished from the species.[5] Occasional unlobed leaves also occur on most trees with otherwise normal three-lobed leaves.[6]
[edit] Cultivation
It is widely grown in temperate regions as an ornamental tree. It was introduced very early to Japan, where its name translates as "China maple".[4][7] More recently, it was introduced to Europe and North America in 1896, and is now occasionally grown in parks and large gardens there.[6] Mature examples may be seen at Westonbirt Arboretum in England, the Esveld Aceretum in Boskoop, Netherlands, Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Massachusetts and many other locations.[3]
[edit] Bonsai
Trident Maple is a popular choice for the art of bonsai and responds well to techniques that create leaf reduction and ramification.[3]
[edit] Cultivars
Several interesting cultivars have been developed, many of these bear Japanese names. Notable cultivars include 'Goshiki Kaede' (striking pink and green variegation), 'Kifu Nishiki' (roundish, almost un-lobed leaves), 'Mino Yatsubusa' (dwarf with long, narrow leaves) 'Mitsubato Kaede' (distinctive cork-like trunk) and 'Naruto' (strongly incurved leaf surface).[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Flora of China (draft): Aceraceae
- ^ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Acer buergerianum
- ^ a b c d van Gelderen, C.J. & van Gelderen, D.M. (1999). Maples for Gardens: A Color Encyclopedia
- ^ a b Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins ISBN 0-00-220013-9.
- ^ Makino Herbarium, Tokyo: Acer trifidium
- ^ a b Mitchell, A. F. (1974). A Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe. Collins ISBN 0-00-212035-6
- ^ Kanon tree book: Acer buergerianum (in Japanese; google translation)
