ACERGARDENACERSFORFUN

Morphology:

Maples are mostly trees growing to 10-45 meters (30-145 ft) in height. Others are shrubs less than 10 meters tall with a number of small trunks originating at ground level. Most species are deciduous, but a few in southern Asia and the Mediterranean region are evergreen. Most are shade-tolerant when young, and are often late-successional in ecology; many of the root systems are typically dense and fibrous. A few species, notably Acer cappadocicum, frequently produce root sprouts, which can develop into clonal colonies.^[2]Maples are distinguished by opposite leaf arrangement. The leaves in most species are palmate veined and lobed, with 3-9 (rarely to 13) veins each leading to a lobe, one of which is central or apical. A small number of species differ in having palmate compound, pinnate compound, pinnate veined or unlobed leaves. Several species, including Acer griseum (Paperbark Maple), Acer mandshuricum (Manchurian Maple), Acer maximowiczianum (Nikko Maple), and Acer triflorum (Three-flowered Maple), have trifoliate leaves. One species, Acer negundo (Box-elder), has pinnately compound leaves that may be simply trifoliate or may have five, seven, or rarely nine leaflets. A few, such as Acer laevigatum (Nepal Maple) and Acer carpinifolium (Hornbeam Maple), have pinnately-veined simple leaves.

Perfect for Bonsai:

Maples are a popular choice for the art of bonsai. Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple), Acer buergerianum (Trident Maple), Acer ginnala (Amur Maple), Acer campestre (Field Maple) and Montpellier Maple (A. monspessulanum) are popular choices and respond well to techniques that encourage leaf reduction and ramification, but most species can be used.^[2]

Collections and where to see the best of them:

Maple collections, sometimes called aceretums, occupy space in many gardens and arboreta around the world including the "five great W's" in England: Wakehurst Place Garden, Westonbirt Arboretum, Windsor Great Park, Winkworth Arboretum and Wisley Garden. In the United States, the aceretum at the Harvard-owned Arnold Arboretum in Boston is especially notable. In the number of species and cultivars, the Esveld Aceretum in Boskoop, Netherlands is the largest in the world.^[2]

Maples are planted as ornamental trees by homeowners, businesses and municipalities. Acer platanoides (Norway Maple) is especially popular as it is fast-growing and extremely cold-resistant, though it is also an invasive species in some regions. Other maples, especially smaller or more unusual species, are popular as specimen trees.^[2]

Cultivars:

Numerous maple cultivars which have been selected for particular characteristics can be propagated only by asexual reproduction such as cuttings, tissue culture, budding or grafting. Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple) alone has over 1,000 cultivars, most selected in Japan, and many of them no longer propagated or not in cultivation in the western world. Some delicate cultivars are usually grown in pots and rarely reach heights of more than 50-100 cm. Maple is also a key wood in the construction of percussion instruments like drum kits. Some of the best drum building companies like DW (Drum Workshop) use maple extensively throughout their mid-pro range.^[2]