Acer glabrum
Branch with leaves and fruits
The Bald maple (Acer glabrum ) is a small tree or shrub of the genus of the maples in the family of Soapberry ( Sapindaceae ). The natural range is in the United States and Canada.
Description
The Kahler Maple is up to 10 meters high, dioecious or polygamous tree or shrub with bare, red-brown at first and later olive branches. The leaves are three-to five-lobed, rarely ternate, 6 to 15 inches wide with a rounded outline and slightly heart-shaped to broadly wedge- shaped base. The lobes are pointed, more or less pointed or short, the leaf margin is sharply doubly serrate. The upper leaf surface is glossy dark green, the underside is bright to blue-green. Both sides are completely hairless. The petiole is red. The leaves turn yellow in autumn. The yellowish-green, 6 mm wide flowers grow from 5 to 15 in cymes. The species blooms in May. The fruits are 1.5 to 2 inches long. The summer often pink colored wings spread is perpendicular to almost parallel.
Distribution and ecology
The distribution area is located in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia in Canada, Alaska and the west and the center of the United States to California. The species grows in species-poor forests on moderately dry to moderately moist, acidic to neutral, sandy soils in sunny locations. The species is frost hardy.
Systematics and history of research
The Bald maple (Acer glabrum ) is a species in the genus of the maples (Acer) in the family of Soapberry ( Sapindaceae ). There he is assigned to the section Glabra, serial Glabra. The first description was in 1827 by John Torrey in the Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York.
There are two subspecies:
- Acer glabrum subsp. glabrum
- Acer glabrum subsp. douglasii with three-to five-lobed but never fingered, 5 to 10 centimeters broad leaves with a slightly heart-shaped base. The flaps are cut short and tapered cut. The middle lobe is broadly ovate with pointed teeth. The fruit wings are wider than in the subspecies glabrum. The range of the subspecies range from Alaska, through western Canada into the Northwest.
Use
The species is rarely used because of their exceptional autumn color as ornamental tree.