''Acer circinatum'', the vine maple, is a species of

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 ...

native to western North America.

Description

It most commonly grows as a large shrub growing to around tall, but it will occasionally form a small to medium-sized

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

, exceptionally to tall. The shoots are slender and hairless.Plants of British Columbia
''Acer circinatum''
/ref>Jepson Flora
''Acer circinatum''
/ref> The trunk rarely grows more than thick. The leaves are long and broad, opposite, palmately lobed with 7 to 11 lobes, almost circular in outline, and thinly hairy on the underside; the lobes are pointed and with coarsely toothed margins. The leaves turn bright yellow to orange-red in autumn. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are small, in diameter, with a dark red calyx and five short greenish-yellow petals; they are produced in open corymbs of 4 to 20 together in spring. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is a two-seeded samara, each

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

in diameter, with a lateral wing long. Vine maple trees can bend over easily. Sometimes, this can cause the top of the tree to grow into the ground and send out a new root system, creating a natural arch. This characteristic makes it the only maple capable of

layering Layering has evolved as a common means of vegetative propagation of numerous species in natural environments. Layering is also utilized by horticulturists to propagate desirable plants. Natural layering typically occurs when a branch touches ...

Taxonomy

It belongs to the ''Palmatum'' group of maple trees native to

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...

with its closest relatives being the ''

Acer japonicum ''Acer japonicum'', Fullmoon Maple, Downy Japanese-Maple ( ja, はうちは楓, translit=hauchiwakaede), is a species of maple native to Japan, on Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū (Nagasaki Prefecture), and also southern Korea.Kanagawa Prefecture ...

'' (fullmoon maple) and '' Acer pseudosieboldianum'' (Korean maple). It can be difficult to distinguish from these species in cultivation. It is the only member of the ''Palmatum'' group that resides outside of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

Distribution and habitat

It can be found from southwest

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

to northern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, usually within of the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

coast, found along the

Columbia Gorge The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the sta ...

and Coastal Forest. It can found no further inland than the east side of the Cascade Range. It typically grows in the understory below much taller

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

trees, but can sometimes be found in open ground, and occurs at altitudes from sea level up to .

Ecology

Various birds and mammals eat the seeds of this species.

Cultivation

It is occasionally cultivated outside its native range as an ornamental tree, from Juneau, Alaska, and Ottawa,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, to

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in ...

,University of Alabama, Huntsville
Oregon Vine Maple at UAH Arboretum
and also in northwestern

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

.Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and Europe''. Collins .

Uses

The

Quinault people The Quinault ( or ) are a group of Native American peoples from western Washington in the United States. They are a Southwestern Coast Salish people and are enrolled in the federally recognized Quinault Tribe of the Quinault Reservation. The na ...

used the shoots to weave baskets.

Gallery

Drop the Charges.jpg, Vine Maple bonsai. Acer circinatum 03684.JPG, Flower with reddish calyx and five short petals. Acer circinatum 9468.JPG, The fruit is borne in pairs. With wings nearly 180 degrees apart, it is initially green, later becoming reddish (shown) to brown. 2015-10-30 16 27 33 Vine Maple foliage during autumn along Old Brockway Road in Truckee, California.jpg, Autumn foliage of Acer circinatum.

References

External links

* {{Authority control circinatum Flora of the West Coast of the United States Trees of British Columbia Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Garden plants of North America Plants used in bonsai Ornamental trees Trees of the United States Plants described in 1813