Acer ginnala Amur maple

Acer ginnala, Downtown Library, Palo Alto. Sairus Patel, 28 Jul 2023

Acer ginnala leaves and samaras. John Rawlings, c. 2004

Named for the Amur River that runs between eastern Siberia and Manchuria, this small, cold-weather maple has small toothed leaves (often only 2 inches long), two rather small side lobes, 1-inch keys, small fragrant flowers, and good fall color. Campus has lost our only specimens, a small group in the greenbelt by the path at the end of Casanueva Place. In Palo Alto see a shrubby specimen at the Downtown Library (270 Forest Ave), on the Ramona Street side.