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Acer sterculiaceum

Acer sterculiaceum
Photo: Daderot, CC0

Acer sterculiaceum, known as Franchet's maple or Himalayan maple, is a medium to large maple tree from the Himalaya and southwest China that grows at high altitude in cool, temperate climates. It is grown mainly as an ornamental or specimen tree in gardens and arboreta where winters are cold.

Family
Sapindaceae (Soapberry & maple family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Part shade, Full sun
Water
Water regularly during establishment and dry spells, and let the top of the soil dry slightly between waterings.
Soil
Moist, well-drained loam or humus-rich soil, slightly acidic to neutral.
Temperature
Tolerates cold winters well; protect young trees from late frost and hot, dry summers.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
Himalaya to China and Myanmar
Climate
temperate

About

Acer sterculiaceum, commonly known as Franchet’s maple or Himalayan maple, is a species of maple tree in the soapberry family. It is indigenous to Bhutan, northern India, and southwestern and central China (Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan).

Acer sterculiaceum grows at altitudes of 1,800–3,100 metres (5,900–10,200 ft). It is a tree up to 20 meters tall with dark gray or grayish-brown bark. Leaves are palmately lobed, usually with 3 or 5 lobes but occasionally 7. Leaves are up to 20 cm long, thick and a bit leathery, dark green and hairless on the top, lighter green and woolly on the underside.

Other Acer plants

Tapering Leaf Maple · Acer alaskense · Himalayan Maple · Acer amamiense · Broad Maple · Deep-veined Maple · Acer ashwilli · Bearded maple · Jalisco Maple · Acer brevipes · Acer browni · Trident maple

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Acer sterculiaceum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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