Acer circinatum

taxobox
name = "Acer circinatum"


image_caption = Vine Maple leaves and flowers
status = LR/lc
regnum = Plantae
unranked_divisio = Angiosperms
unranked_classis = Eudicots
unranked_ordo = Rosids
ordo = Sapindales
familia = Sapindaceae
genus = "Acer"
species = "A. circinatum"
binomial = "Acer circinatum"
binomial_authority = Pursh|

"Acer circinatum" (Vine Maple) is a species of maple native to western North America, from southwest British Columbia to northern California, always within 300 km of the Pacific Ocean coast.Plants of British Columbia: [http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Acer+circinatum "Acer circinatum"] ] Jepson Flora: [http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Acer+circinatum "Acer circinatum"] ]

It most commonly grows as a large shrub growing to around 5-8 m tall, but it will occasionally form a small to medium-sized tree, exceptionally to 18 m tall. The shoots are slender and hairless. It typically grows in the understory below much taller forest trees, but can sometimes be found in open ground, and occurs at altitudes from sea level up to 1,500 m.

The leaves are opposite, and palmately lobed with 7-11 lobes, almost circular in outline, 3-14 cm long and broad, and thinly hairy on the underside; the lobes are pointed and with coarsely toothed margins. The leaves turn bright yellow to orange-red in fall. The flowers are small, 6–9 mm diameter, with a dark red calyx and five short greenish-yellow petals; they are produced in open corymbs of 4-20 together in spring. The fruit is a two-seeded samara, each seed 8-10 mm diameter, with a spreading wing 2–4 cm long. [Ashley, A. & Ashley, P. (1990). "The Canadian Plant Sourcebook". Cheriton Graphics, Ottawa, Canada.]

Vine Maple trees can bend over easily. Sometimes, this can cause the top of the tree to grow into the ground and send out a new root system, creating a natural arch.

It is occasionally cultivated outside its native range as an ornamental tree, from Juneau, Alaska [ [http://www.silverbowinn.com/downtown_tree_guide%20final%2006.pdf Downtown Juneau Tree Guide] ] and Ottawa, Ontario [Buckley, A. R. (1980). "Trees and Shrubs of the Dominion Arboretum". Research Branch, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa.] to Huntsville, Alabama, [University of Alabama, Huntsville: [http://www.uah.edu/admin/Fac/grounds/OREGNVIN.htm Oregon Vine Maple at UAH Arboretum] ] and also in northwestern Europe.Rushforth, K. (1999). "Trees of Britain and Europe". Collins ISBN 0-00-220013-9.] It is closely related to "Acer japonicum" (Fullmoon Maple) and "Acer pseudosieboldianum" (Korean Maple) from eastern Asia, and can be difficult to distinguish from these species in cultivation.

References