Acer davidii
Encyclopedia
Acer davidii is a species of maple
in the snakebark maple
group. It is native to China
, from Jiangsu
south to Fujian
and Guangdong
, and west to southeastern Gansu
and Yunnan
.
The tree was originally discovered by Père Armand David
who was in Central China as a missionary. It was re-discovered by Charles Maries
during his visit to Jiangsu in 1878.
It is a small deciduous
tree
growing to 10–15 m tall with a trunk up to 40 cm diameter, though usually smaller and often with multiple trunks, and a spreading crown of long, arching branches. The bark
is smooth, olive-green with regular narrow pale vertical stripes on young trees, eventually becoming dull grey-brown at the base of old trees. The leaves
are 6–18 cm long and 4–9 cm broad, with a petiole 3–6 cm long; they are dark green above, paler below, ovate, unlobed or weakly three-lobed, with a serrated margin. They turn to bright yellow, orange or red in the autumn. The flower
s are small, yellow, with five sepals and petals about 4 mm long; they are produced on arching to pendulous 7–12 cm raceme
s in late spring, with male and female flowers on different racemes. The samara
nutlets are 7–10 mm long and 4–6 mm broad, with a wing 2–3 cm long and 5 mm broad.
There are two subspecies, often treated as a distinct species:
, the two subspecies of Père David's Maple are among the most commonly cultivated snakebark maples. Both are relatively hardy and fast-growing.
Among the cultivar
s of A. davidii are 'Canton' (a Dutch
cultivar with a purplish hue to its green stripes), 'George Forrest' (a Scottish
cultivar with large leaves and dark red young shoots), 'Ernest Wilson' (a specimen of which may be viewed in the Westonbirt Arboretum
in England
), and 'Serpentine' (a cultivar with distinctively small, narrow leaves). In some cases, these cultivars cannot be assigned to one subspecies or the other but are simply considered cultivars of A. davidii.
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
in the snakebark maple
Snakebark maple
Snakebark maples are maples belong to the taxonomic section Acer sect. Macrantha. The section includes 18–21 species, and is restricted to eastern Asia with the exception of one species in eastern North America....
group. It is native to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, from Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
south to Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
and Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, and west to southeastern Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
and Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
.
The tree was originally discovered by Père Armand David
Armand David
Father Armand David was a Lazarist missionary Catholic priest as well as a zoologist and a botanist.-General Biography:...
who was in Central China as a missionary. It was re-discovered by Charles Maries
Charles Maries
Charles Maries was an English botanist and plant collector who was sent by James Veitch & Sons of Chelsea, London to search for new hardy plants in Japan, China and Taiwan between 1877 and 1879; there he discovered over 500 new species, which Veitch introduced to England...
during his visit to Jiangsu in 1878.
It is a small deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
growing to 10–15 m tall with a trunk up to 40 cm diameter, though usually smaller and often with multiple trunks, and a spreading crown of long, arching branches. The bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
is smooth, olive-green with regular narrow pale vertical stripes on young trees, eventually becoming dull grey-brown at the base of old trees. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are 6–18 cm long and 4–9 cm broad, with a petiole 3–6 cm long; they are dark green above, paler below, ovate, unlobed or weakly three-lobed, with a serrated margin. They turn to bright yellow, orange or red in the autumn. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are small, yellow, with five sepals and petals about 4 mm long; they are produced on arching to pendulous 7–12 cm raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s in late spring, with male and female flowers on different racemes. The samara
Samara (fruit)
A samara is a type of fruit in which a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue develops from the ovary wall. A samara is a simple dry fruit and indehiscent . It is a winged achene...
nutlets are 7–10 mm long and 4–6 mm broad, with a wing 2–3 cm long and 5 mm broad.
There are two subspecies, often treated as a distinct species:
- Acer davidii subsp. davidii. Père David's Maple. Bark greenish-brown with white stripes. Shoots pinkish-green. Leaf petiole pink to red; leaf margin usually single-serrate with variably-sized serrations.
- Acer davidii subsp. grosseri (Pax) de Jong. Hers's Maple (Acer grosseri Pax; syn. Acer hersii Rehd.). Bark green with white to pale green stripes. Shoots green. Leaf petiole green; leaf margin more often three-lobed and double-serrate.
Cultivation and uses
Along with A. rufinerveAcer rufinerve
Acer rufinerve , is a maple in the snakebark maple group, related to Acer capillipes . It is native to mountains forests of Japan, on Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku.It is a small deciduous tree growing to a height of 8–15 m, with a trunk up to 40 cm diameter...
, the two subspecies of Père David's Maple are among the most commonly cultivated snakebark maples. Both are relatively hardy and fast-growing.
Among the cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s of A. davidii are 'Canton' (a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
cultivar with a purplish hue to its green stripes), 'George Forrest' (a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
cultivar with large leaves and dark red young shoots), 'Ernest Wilson' (a specimen of which may be viewed in the Westonbirt Arboretum
Westonbirt Arboretum
Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is managed by the Forestry Commission. Westonbirt Arboretum is located near the historic market town of Tetbury in Gloucestershire, England, and is perhaps the most important and widely known arboretum in the United Kingdom.Planted in the heyday of Victorian plant...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
), and 'Serpentine' (a cultivar with distinctively small, narrow leaves). In some cases, these cultivars cannot be assigned to one subspecies or the other but are simply considered cultivars of A. davidii.