Acer sieboldianum
Encyclopedia
Acer sieboldianum is a species of maple
native to Japan
and common in the forests of Hokkaidō
, Honshū
, Shikoku
and Kyūshū
Islands; in the south of the range it is restricted to mountain forests. It is named after Philipp Franz von Siebold
.
tree
growing to 10–15 m tall, with smooth grey-brown bark
. The young shoots are green to red, thinly covered with white hairs in their first year. The leaves
are mid to dark green, 4-8 cm long and 5-10 cm broad with a 3–7 cm petiole, and palmately lobed with nine to eleven (occasionally just seven) lobes. The young leaves in spring are downy with white hairs, with the petiole and veins on the underside of the leaf remaining hairy all summer, a feature useful in distinguishing it from the related Acer palmatum
. In autumn, the leaves turn bright orange to red. The flower
s are pale yellow, produced in corymbs of 10–15 together; it is andromonoecious
, with inflorescences containing flowers with either both sexes, or just male. The fruit
is a paired samara
, the pair spreading horizontally, each seed with a 15–20 mm wing. Flowering is in late spring, with fruit maturation in early autumn.
The smooth bark and yellow flowers help distinguish it from the closely related Acer japonicum
(Japanese, hauchiwakaede), which has rough, scaly bark, and red flowers, while the hairy stems and yellow flowers distinguish it from Acer shirasawanum (Japanese, ooitayameigetsu; with hairless stems and red flowers).
Palmata, such as Acer japonicum, Acer shirasawanum and Acer palmatum; it is also sometimes confused with Acer pseudosieboldianum
(Korean Maple or Keijo Maple), a closely related species from the adjacent mainland of northeastern Asia.
Several cultivar
s have been selected, most only rarely seen outside of Japan. Cultivars include 'Kinugasa yama', 'Mi yama nishiki', 'Ogura yama', 'Sode no uchi' and 'Osiris'.
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 Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and common in the forests of Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, Shikoku
Shikoku
is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...
and Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
Islands; in the south of the range it is restricted to mountain forests. It is named after Philipp Franz von Siebold
Philipp Franz von Siebold
Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold was a German physician and traveller. He was the first European to teach Western medicine in Japan...
.
Description
It is a slow-growing, small to 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 10–15 m tall, with smooth grey-brown 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...
. The young shoots are green to red, thinly covered with white hairs in their first year. 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 mid to dark green, 4-8 cm long and 5-10 cm broad with a 3–7 cm petiole, and palmately lobed with nine to eleven (occasionally just seven) lobes. The young leaves in spring are downy with white hairs, with the petiole and veins on the underside of the leaf remaining hairy all summer, a feature useful in distinguishing it from the related Acer palmatum
Acer palmatum
Acer palmatum, called Japanese Maple or Smooth Japanese Maple is a species of woody plant native to Japan, North Korea, South Korea, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. Many different cultivars of this maple have been selected and they are grown worldwide for their attractive leaf...
. In autumn, the leaves turn bright orange to red. 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 pale yellow, produced in corymbs of 10–15 together; it is andromonoecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, with inflorescences containing flowers with either both sexes, or just male. 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 paired 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...
, the pair spreading horizontally, each seed with a 15–20 mm wing. Flowering is in late spring, with fruit maturation in early autumn.
The smooth bark and yellow flowers help distinguish it from the closely related Acer japonicum
Acer japonicum
Acer japonicum is a species of maple native to Japan, on Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū , and also southern Korea....
(Japanese, hauchiwakaede), which has rough, scaly bark, and red flowers, while the hairy stems and yellow flowers distinguish it from Acer shirasawanum (Japanese, ooitayameigetsu; with hairless stems and red flowers).
Cultivation
Siebold's Maple is not as rare in cultivation as it seems. Specimens are often mistaken for and mislabeled as similar species in the seriesSeries (botany)
Series is a low-level taxonomic rank below that of section but above that of species.In botany, a series is a subdivision of a genus...
Palmata, such as Acer japonicum, Acer shirasawanum and Acer palmatum; it is also sometimes confused with Acer pseudosieboldianum
Acer pseudosieboldianum
Acer pseudosieboldianum or the Korean Maple tree, also known as the Purplebloom Maple, is a species of plant that is native to the Korean peninsula, southern parts of the Russian Far East, and Northern China.-Description:...
(Korean Maple or Keijo Maple), a closely related species from the adjacent mainland of northeastern Asia.
Several cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s have been selected, most only rarely seen outside of Japan. Cultivars include 'Kinugasa yama', 'Mi yama nishiki', 'Ogura yama', 'Sode no uchi' and 'Osiris'.