Acer lobelii

taxobox
name = "Acer lobelii"
regnum = Plantae
unranked_divisio = Angiosperms
unranked_classis = Eudicots
unranked_ordo = Rosids
ordo = Sapindales
familia = Sapindaceae
genus = "Acer"
species = "A. lobelii"
binomial = "Acer lobelii"
binomial_authority = Ten.|

"Acer lobelii" (Lobel's Maple) is a rare maple native to southern Italy and the western Balkans.Euro+Med Plantbase Project: [http://ww2.bgbm.org/_EuroPlusMed/PTaxonDetail.asp?NameId=828&PTRefFk=500000 "Acer lobelii"] ] Rushforth, K. (1999). "Trees of Britain and Europe". Collins ISBN 0-00-220013-9.] Synonyms include "Acer platanoides" subsp. "lobelii" (Ten.) Gams and "Acer cappadocicum" subsp. "lobelii" (Ten.) De Jong.Huxley, A., ed. (1992). "New RHS Dictionary of Gardening". Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.]

It is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 20-25 m tall with a narrow, erect crown, one of very few trees with a naturally fastigiate form. The bark is greenish-grey, smooth in young trees, becoming browner and shallowly furrowed in mature trees. The shoots are green covered by a thick glaucous blue-white wax at first, this wearing off within a year but the older shoots remaining green for several years. The leaves are opposite, palmately lobed with five lobes, 6-12 cm long and 6-15 cm across; the lobes are entire or with one or two irregular teeth. The leaf stems bleed a milky latex when broken. The flowers are in corymbs, yellow-green with five sepals 3-4 mm long; flowering occurs in early spring. The fruit is a double samara with two winged seeds, the seeds are disc-shaped, strongly flattened, 6-11 mm across and 2-3 mm thick. The wings are 2.5 cm long, widely spread, approaching a 180° angle.Mitchell, A. F. (1974). "A Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe". Collins ISBN 0-00-212035-6] Mitchell, A. F. (1982). "The Trees of Britain and Northern Europe". Collins ISBN 0-00-219037-0] Bean, W. J. (1976). "Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles" 8th ed., vol. 1. John Murray ISBN 0-7195-1790-7.]

The species is rare and endangered in Italy, only occurring scattered in small groups.Guarino, C., & Napolitano, F. (2006). Community habitats and biodiversity in the Taburno-Camposauro Regional Park. Woodland, rare species, endangered species and their conservation. "Forest@" 3 (4): 527-541. [http://www.sisef.it/forest@/showPaper.php?action=html(10,419,13) p.539: Results. Habitat and species biodiversity.] ] It is widely considered endemic in southern Italy, but is now also known in the western Balkans (former Yugoslavia), a distribution fairly closely matched by "Pinus heldreichii".

It is closely related to, and in some respects intermediate between, "Acer cappadocicum", from Asia, and "Acer platanoides", from further north in Europe. The suggestion has been made that it could be a natural hybrid between them, but differences from both, notably the strongly glaucous bloom on the young shoots, make treatment as a distinct species more reasonable.

Cultivation and uses

Lobel's Maple is occasionally grown as an ornamental tree in northern Europe, valued for its narrow crown which makes it suitable for planting in confined spaces. Many of the trees in cultivation are grafted on "Acer cappadocicum" rootstocks, shown by the numerous root sprouts with "Acer cappadocicum" foliage.

The horticultural hybrid maple "Acer × zoeschense" is often cited as having "Acer lobelii" as one of its parents, though more likely "Acer cappadocicum".

References