| Acer miyabei | |
|---|---|
| Morton Arboretum acc. 550-32*11 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Sapindaceae |
| Genus: | Acer |
| Species: | A. miyabei |
| Binomial name | |
| Acer miyabei Maxim. |
|
Acer miyabei (Miyabe's or Miyabe Maple; Japanese: クロビイタヤ： kurobiitaya) is a species of maple native to Japan, where it occurs in Hokkaidō and the Tōhoku region in northern Honshū.[1]
It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 10–20 m tall, with a trunk 30–40 cm diameter with rough, grey-brown bark. The leaves are five-lobed (the basal pair of lobes usually small), 7–20 cm long and 12–20 cm broad, with a 5–15 cm long petiole; the petiole bleeds white latex if cut. The flowers are produced in spring at the same time as the leaves open, yellow-green, in erect corymbs. The fruit is a samara with two winged seeds aligned at 180°, each seed 8 mm wide, flat, with a 2 cm wing.[1][2]
It is an endangered species, confined to scattered locations close to streams and rivers.[1][3]
It is closely related to Acer miaotaiense from China (some authors treat this as a subspecies of A. miyabei, as Acer miyabei subsp. miaotaiense (P.C.Tsoong) E.Murray), and to Acer campestre from Europe.[1][2][5]