Botanical Name: Acer truncatum
Family: Sapindaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Sapindales
Genus: Acer
Section: Acer sect. Platanoidea
Species: A. truncatum
Common Names: Shantung Maple, Purpleblow Maple, Shandong maple
Habitat : Acer truncatum is native to northern China, in the provinces of Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Jiangsu, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, and to Korea. It grows in deciduous oak forests at elevations of 400 – 1000 metres in China.
Description:
Acer truncatum is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 15 metres (49 ft) tall with a broad, rounded crown. The bark is smooth on young trees, becoming shallowly ridged with age. The leaves are opposite, palmately lobed with five lobes, 5 centimetres (2.0 in) to 12 centimetres (4.7 in) long and 7 centimetres (2.8 in) to 11 millimetres (0.43 in) broad, with a 3 centimetres (1.2 in) to 10 millimetres (0.39 in) petiole; the lobes are usually entire, but occasionally with a pair of teeth on the largest central lobe, and the margin is often wavy. The petiole bleeds a milky latex when broken. The flowers are in corymbs, yellow-green with five petals 5 millimetres (0.20 in) to 7 millimetres (0.28 in) long; flowering occurs in early spring. The fruit is a double samara with two winged seeds, the seeds are disc-shaped, slightly flattened, 13 millimetres (0.51 in) to 18 millimetres (0.71 in) across. The wings are 2 centimetres (0.79 in) long, widely spread, approaching a 180° angle. The bark is greenish-grey, smooth in young trees, becoming shallowly grooved in mature.
Cultivation:
Landscape Uses:Container, Standard, Specimen, Street tree. Of easy cultivation, it prefers a good moist well-drained soil and a sunny position but tolerates some shade. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Chlorosis can sometimes develop as a result of iron deficiency when the plants are grown in alkaline soils, but in general maples are not fussy as to soil pH. Plants produce prodigious root growth but little top growth in first year from seed. Most maples are bad companion plants, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants. Special Features:Not North American native, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms.
Edible Uses:
Seed – roasted. Rather small and fiddly to utilize.
Medicinal Uses: Not known to us.
Other Uses: The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them. Shantung maple is grown as an ornamental plant in Europe and North America.
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_truncatum
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Acer+truncatum
