Acer cappadocicum, the Cappadocian maple, is a maple native to Asia, from central Turkey (ancient Cappadocia) east along the Caucasus, the Himalayas, to southwestern China.[1][2][3][4][5]
| Acer cappadocicum | |
|---|---|
| |
| Cappadocian maple leaves | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Sapindaceae |
| Genus: | Acer |
| Section: | Acer sect. Platanoidea |
| Species: | A. cappadocicum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Acer cappadocicum Gled. 1785
| |
Description
editIt is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 20–30 m tall with a broad, rounded crown. The leaves are opposite, palmately lobed with 5-7 lobes, 6–15 cm across. The leaf stems bleed a milky latex when broken. The flowers are in corymbs of 15-30 together, yellow-green with five petals 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 2.5–3 cm long, widely spread, approaching a 180° angle. The bark is greenish-grey, smooth in young trees, becoming shallowly grooved when mature.[1][2][4][5]
Taxonomy
editThere are three varieties, sometimes treated as subspecies:[3][4]
- Acer cappadocicum var. cappadocicum. Turkey, Caucasus, northern Iran.
- Acer cappadocicum var. indicum (Pax) Rehd. (syn. var. cultratum (Wall.) Bean). Himalaya.
- Acer cappadocicum var. sinicum Rehd. Southwestern China.
The closely related Acer lobelii from southern Italy is also treated as a subspecies of A. cappadocicum by some authors.[4] The eastern Asian species Acer amplum, Acer pictum, and Acer truncatum are also very closely related, and often confused with A. cappadocicum in cultivation.[3]
Cultivation and uses
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Cappadocian maple is grown as an ornamental tree in Europe. Many of the trees in cultivation show a strong tendency to produce numerous root sprouts, a character rare in maples.[1][2] The hybrid maple Acer × zoeschense shares this character and probably has Acer cappadocicum as one of its parents.[2]
The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-
References
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- ^ a b c Mitchell, A. F. (1974). A Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe. Collins ISBN 0-00-212035-6
- ^ a b c d Mitchell, A. F. (1982). The Trees of Britain and Northern Europe. Collins ISBN 0-00-219037-0
- ^ a b c Bean, W. J. (1976). Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles 8th ed., vol. 1. John Murray ISBN 0-7195-1790-7.
- ^ a b c d Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
- ^ a b Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins ISBN 0-00-220013-9.
- ^ "Acer cappadocicum 'Aureum'". RHS. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ^ "Acer cappadocicum". RHS. Retrieved 23 February 2020.