Acer lobelii
Encyclopedia
Acer lobelii is a rare maple
native to southern Italy
and the western Balkans
. Synonyms
include Acer platanoides subsp. lobelii (Ten.) Gams and Acer cappadocicum subsp. lobelii (Ten.) De Jong.
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, palmate
ly 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 flower
s 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 seed
s, 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.
in Italy, only occurring scattered in small groups in Italian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests
habtats. It was 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
(Bosnian Pine).
It is closely related to, and in some respects intermediate between, Acer cappadocicum, from Asia
, and Acer platanoides, from further north in Europe, hence Acer platanoides subsp. lobeli. 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.
, 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.
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 southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and the western Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. Synonyms
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
include Acer platanoides subsp. lobelii (Ten.) Gams and Acer cappadocicum subsp. lobelii (Ten.) De Jong.
Description
Acer lobelii is a medium-sized deciduousDeciduous
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...
growing to 20-25 m tall with a narrow, erect crown, one of very few trees with a naturally fastigiate form. The 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...
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
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....
are opposite, palmate
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
ly 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
Latex
Latex is the stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. Latexes may be natural or synthetic.Latex as found in nature is a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins,...
when broken.
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 in corymbs, yellow-green with five sepals 3-4 mm long; flowering occurs in early spring. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a double samara
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...
with two winged seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s, 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.
Distribution
The species is rare and endangeredEndangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
in Italy, only occurring scattered in small groups in Italian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests
Italian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests
The term Italian Sclerophyllous and deciduous forests ecoregion, in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub Biome, is in Italy. The region extends from the Po Basin to the Apennine Mountains of Basilicata and Calabria...
habtats. It was widely considered endemic in southern Italy, but is now also known in the western Balkans (former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
), a distribution fairly closely matched by Pinus heldreichii
Bosnian Pine
The Bosnian Pine is a species of pine native to Bosnia but is also found in the mountains of southeastern Europe, in southwestern Bulgaria, Bosnia, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, northern Greece , and locally in southern Italy ,...
(Bosnian Pine).
It is closely related to, and in some respects intermediate between, Acer cappadocicum, from Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and Acer platanoides, from further north in Europe, hence Acer platanoides subsp. lobeli. 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 grown as an ornamental tree in northern EuropeNorthern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
, valued for its narrow crown which makes it suitable for planting in confined spaces. Many of the trees in cultivation are grafted
Grafting
Grafting is a horticultural technique whereby tissues from one plant are inserted into those of another so that the two sets of vascular tissues may join together. This vascular joining is called inosculation...
on Acer cappadocicum rootstocks, shown by the numerous root sprouts
Basal shoot
A basal shoot, root sprout, adventitious shoot, water sprout or sucker is a shoot or cane which grows from a bud at the base of a tree or shrub or from its roots. This shoot then becomes, or takes the form of, a singular plant. A plant that produces suckers is referred to as surculose...
with Acer cappadocicum foliage.
The horticultural hybrid maple Acer × zoeschense
Acer × zoeschense
Acer × zoeschense is a hybrid maple, a cross between Acer campestre , and either Acer lobelii or Acer cappadocicum . While Field Maple parentage is universally accepted, the second parent is uncertain, though the tree's extensive production of root sprouts favours A. cappadocicum over A...
is often cited as having Acer lobelii as one of its parents, though more likely Acer cappadocicum.