Acer tataricum
Tatarian maple
This wide-ranging species is mainly known for its subspecies ginnala, the Amur maple (formerly a species in its own right, A. ginnala). Named for the Amur River that runs between eastern Siberia and Manchuria, it is native from that area down to southeastern China. This small, cold-weather maple has toothed leaves 2–3 inches long, two deeply incised smaller side lobes, small fragrant clusters of flowers, and good fall color. Campus has lost its only specimens, a small group in the greenbelt by the path at the end of Casanueva Place. In Palo Alto see a shrubby tree at the Downtown Library (270 Forest Avenue), on the Ramona Street side.
Typical Tatarian maple, subspecies tataricum, hails from southeastern Europe and western Asia. Its unlobed leaves with somewhat wavy margins might seem unexpected for a maple. But the pairwise (opposite) leaf arrangement and, most importantly, the distinctive paired keys immediately give it away as an Acer. Hot Wings, the trade name of an aptly named selection from a Colorado nursery, has samaras with striking red wings, the portions over the seeds at the base remaining green initially. The samaras are profusely borne and put on quite a show, starting in May, as though hundreds of red butterflies had alighted on branches. They end up a golden tan in October before browning and dropping. A young specimen planted in 2022 is on the Santa Ynez Street side of 607 Mayfield Avenue, on the right of the driveway.
About this Entry: Authored Dec 2024 by Sairus Patel.
