Acer truncatum
Shantung maple
Tolerant of heat and drought, Shantung maple is a relatively new experiment on campus. A pair of the ‘Fire Dragon’ cultivar grows in the courtyard behind Encina Hall, near the east entrance. New leaves emerge in spring a tender green. Sizeable clusters of yellow-green flowers mature into similarly colored samaras, or winged seeds, which blush pink as fall approaches. By November the five-lobed, star-shaped leaves (reminiscent of sweetgum’s) develop rich tones of scarlet, vermilion, and gold (also like sweetgum).
Curiously, Shantung maple is exceptional among maples in having cotyledons that remain non-photosynthetic and typically below ground during germination. It is closely related to the more familiar Norway maple (A. platanoides); both characteristically bleed a milky sap when a leaf is plucked. They also form hybrids; several of trade name Pacific Sunset are in Palo Alto: four at 1200 Pine Street and four more along the Webster Street side of 601 Melville Avenue. Their leaves are intermediate between those of their parents: larger than those of A. truncatum and with toothed rather than entire lobes.
About this Entry: Authored Dec 2024 by Sairus Patel. Updated (Dec 2025, SP).
