Acer truncatum

Acer truncatum is a maple native to northern China, in the provinces of Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Jiangsu, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, and also Korea.

It is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 15 m tall with a broad, rounded crown. The bark is smooth on young trees, becoming shallowly ridged with age. The are opposite, ly lobed with five lobes, 5-12 cm long and 7-11 cm broad, with a 3-10 cm petiole; the lobes are usually entire, but occasionally with a pair of teeth on the largest central lobe, and the margin is often wavy. The petiole bleeds a milky latex when broken. The flowers are in corymbs, yellow-green with five petals 5-7 mm long; flowering occurs in early spring. The fruit is a double with two winged seeds, the seeds are disc-shaped, slightly flattened, 13-18 mm across. The wings are 2 cm long, widely spread, approaching a 180° angle. The bark is greenish-grey, smooth in young trees, becoming shallowly grooved in mature.

A number of cultivars have been selected, including 'Akikaze Nishiki' with leaves, 'Fire Dragon' with very bright autumn colour.