''Acer pentaphyllum'' (五小叶槭 ''wu xiao ye qi'') is a very rare, endangered

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to southwestern

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, at altitudes of 2300–2900 meters. ''Acer pentaphyllum'' is a deciduous tree that grows to 10 meters in height. Leaves are palmately compound hairless, usually with 5 lobes but sometimes with 4 or 7. Leaflet are 5-8 × 1.5–2 cm, narrowly lanceolate or lanceolate.Flora of China ''Acer pentaphyllum'' Diels, Notizbl. 1931. 五小叶枫 wu xiao ye feng
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Conservation

''Acer pentaphyllum'' is listed as "critically endangered" on the Red List of Threatened Species by the IUCN with a recorded population of less than 500 plants left in the wild. Experts believe that survival is threatened by a combination of factors, including habitat loss, animal grazing, the harvest of woody fuel by local farmers, and fragmentation. Several concerned individuals and organizations have been working to ensure this species is conserved and saved from extinction. Most of these works done by experts to conserve this species include the establishment of ''ex situ'' conservation sites and Environmental Public Interest Litigation Cases on behalf of this species. The UBC Botanic Garden established an ''ex situ'' conservation site at the UBC Botanic Garden for the conservation of this critically endangered ''Acer Pentaphyllum'' species. Also in

, an organization known as th
China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF)
is one of the organizations in

working to conserve this plant species. An example includes the establishment of ''ex situ'' conservation sites throug
(Community Conservation Area(CCAfa))
at 3 different regions in

such as

Tianshui Tianshui is the second-largest cities in Gansu, city in Gansu list of Chinese provinces, Province, China. The city is located in the southeast of the province, along the upper reaches of the Wei River and at the boundary of the Loess Plateau and ...

Lanzhou Lanzhou (, ; ) is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. Located on the banks of the Yellow River, it is a key regional transportation hub, connecting areas further west by rail to the eastern half of the country. H ...

and Xing'an Meng. CBCGDF filed a civil public interest environmental lawsuit against a hydropower company for potentially threatening the survival of the plant by building a new power station in southwest China. The Garze intermediate court accepted the case in Dec. 2015.

References

External links

*
The Plant List ''Acer pentaphyllum'' Illustration for Flora of China, figure 601, drawing 1 at topEx-situ Conservation of ''Acer pentaphyllum'' at UBC Botanical Garden
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3590921 Plants described in 1931 Flora of Sichuan Endangered plants pentaphyllum