Acer mandshuricum
Encyclopedia
Acer mandshuricum is a species of maple
native to China
(southeastern Gansu
, Heilongjiang
, Jilin
, Liaoning
, southern Shaanxi
), Korea
and Russia
(Primorsky Krai
).
It is a slender deciduous
tree
that reaches a height of up to 30 m tall but is usually smaller. It is a trifoliate maple related to such other species as Three-flower Maple
(Acer triflorum) and Paperbark Maple
(Acer griseum) but has smooth, gray bark
dissimilar to the exfoliating bark
of either.
The leaves
have a 7-10 cm petiole
and three leaflets; the leaflets are short-stalked, oblong, 5-10 cm (2-4 inches) long and 1.5-3 cm broad, with serrated margins, the central leaflet the same size as or slightly larger than the two side leaflets. The flower
s are yellowish-green, produced in corymbs
of three to five together. The hard, horizontally-spreading samaras
are 3-3.5 cm long and 1 cm broad. It leafs out early in the spring and the deep green leaves are contrast with its red petioles throughout the growing season.
in Britain. It has not proved very successful in cultivation in Britain, as its adaptation to a continental climate results in its early leafing and being damaged by late frosts in spring there; the largest recorded specimen is 8 m tall (Tree Register of the British Isles).
Although it is rarely seen in cultivation outside of arboreta
, its narrow habit makes it suitable for small gardens and, like its relatives, it has spectacular fall colour that includes pink and orange tones. Best growth occurs in full sun to partial shade and in acid to neutral soil that is moist but well-drained.
In the United States
, mature specimens can be seen at Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Massachusetts, including one 70-year-old specimen that has reached a size of approximately 13 m (40 ft) tall and 8 m (25 ft) wide. In Canada
, the Royal Botanical Gardens
in Hamilton, Ontario
have three Manchurian maples each about 10 m (35 ft) tall.
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...
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...
(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...
, Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
, Jilin
Jilin
Jilin , is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. Jilin borders North Korea and Russia to the east, Heilongjiang to the north, Liaoning to the south, and Inner Mongolia to the west...
, Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
, southern Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
), Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
).
It is a slender 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...
that reaches a height of up to 30 m tall but is usually smaller. It is a trifoliate maple related to such other species as Three-flower Maple
Acer triflorum
Acer triflorum is a species of maple native to hills of northern China and Korea....
(Acer triflorum) and Paperbark Maple
Paperbark Maple
Acer griseum is a species of maple native to central China, in the provinces of Gansu, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Sichuan, at altitudes of 1,500–2,000 m....
(Acer griseum) but has smooth, gray 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...
dissimilar to the exfoliating bark
Exfoliation (botany)
Exfoliation means the removal or loss of leaves from a plant. It is used both to describe the loss of a leaves as a natural part of a plant’s life cycle or because of some trauma or outside cause Exfoliation (from the term "foliate", meaning “related to leaves”) means the removal or loss of...
of either.
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....
have a 7-10 cm petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
and three leaflets; the leaflets are short-stalked, oblong, 5-10 cm (2-4 inches) long and 1.5-3 cm broad, with serrated margins, the central leaflet the same size as or slightly larger than the two side leaflets. 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 yellowish-green, produced in corymbs
Panicle
A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches; in other words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes....
of three to five together. The hard, horizontally-spreading samaras
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...
are 3-3.5 cm long and 1 cm broad. It leafs out early in the spring and the deep green leaves are contrast with its red petioles throughout the growing season.
Cultivation
The species was first introduced to cultivation in 1904, when trees were planted at the Royal Botanic Gardens, KewRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...
in Britain. It has not proved very successful in cultivation in Britain, as its adaptation to a continental climate results in its early leafing and being damaged by late frosts in spring there; the largest recorded specimen is 8 m tall (Tree Register of the British Isles).
Although it is rarely seen in cultivation outside of arboreta
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
, its narrow habit makes it suitable for small gardens and, like its relatives, it has spectacular fall colour that includes pink and orange tones. Best growth occurs in full sun to partial shade and in acid to neutral soil that is moist but well-drained.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, mature specimens can be seen at Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Massachusetts, including one 70-year-old specimen that has reached a size of approximately 13 m (40 ft) tall and 8 m (25 ft) wide. In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the Royal Botanical Gardens
Royal Botanical Gardens, Ontario
Royal Botanical Gardens is headquartered in Burlington and also include lands in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the major tourist attractions between Niagara Falls and Toronto, as well as a significant local and regional horticultural, education, conservation and scientific resource...
in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
have three Manchurian maples each about 10 m (35 ft) tall.