Acer tataricum

Acer tataricum
Foliage and fruit, Saratov, Russia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Sapindaceae
Genus: Acer
Section: Acer sect. Ginnala
Species:
A. tataricum
Binomial name
Acer tataricum
L. 1753
Acer tataricum sensu lato distribution; sensu stricto in green
Synonyms[2]
List
  • Acer cordifolium Moench
  • Euacer tataricum (L.) Opiz
  • Acer aidzuense (Franch.) Nakai
  • Acer subintegrum Pojark.
  • Acer ginnala Maxim.
  • Acer theiferum W.P.Fang
  • Acer semenovii Regel & Herder

Acer tataricum, the Tatar maple or Tatarian maple, is a species of maple widespread across central and southeastern Europe and temperate Asia, from Austria and Turkey, and in some circumscriptions, with a disjunct population in eastern Asia in northern and central China, Japan and the Russian Far East. The species is named after the Tatar peoples of southern Russia; the tree's name is similarly commonly also misspelled "Tartar" or "Tartarian" in English.[3][4]

Description

Acer tataricum is a deciduous spreading shrub or small tree growing to 4–12 metres (13–39 ft) tall, with a short trunk up to 20–50 centimetres (7.9–19.7 in) diameter and slender branches. The bark is thin, pale brown, and smooth at first but becoming shallowly fissured on old plants. The leaves are opposite and simple, broadly ovate, 4.5–10 centimetres (1.8–3.9 in) long and 3–7 centimetres (1.2–2.8 in) broad, unlobed or with three or five shallow lobes, and matt green above; the leaf margin is coarsely and irregularly toothed; the leaf petiole is slender, often pink-tinged, 2–5 centimetres (0.79–1.97 in) long. The flowers are whitish-green, 5–8 millimetres (0.20–0.31 in) diameter, produced in spreading panicles in spring as the leaves open. The fruit is a paired reddish samara, 10–12 millimetres (0.39–0.47 in) long with a 2–3 centimetres (0.79–1.18 in) wing, maturing in late summer to early autumn.[3][4][5]

Taxonomy

Subspecies accepted by the Plant List maintained by Kew Gardens in London:[5][2]

  • Acer tataricum subsp. aidzuense (Franch.) P.C.DeJong . Japan. Included in Amur maple when that is treated as a separate species.
  • Acer tataricum subsp. ginnala (Maxim.) Wesm. (Amur maple, syn. Acer ginnala). Korea, easternmost Mongolia, eastern Russia, northeastern China
  • Acer tataricum subsp. semenovii (Regel & Herder) A.E.Murray - Central Asia in Afghanistan, southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, westernmost Tibet
  • Acer tataricum subsp. tataricum - Caucasus, Turkey, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Iran
  • Acer tataricum subsp. theiferum (W.P.Fang) Y.S.Chen & P.C.de Jong - eastern China. Included in Amur maple when that is treated as a separate species.

Some botanists treat Acer tataricum subsp. ginnala as a separate species Acer ginnala.[6][3][7] The two differ conspicuously in the glossy, deeply lobed leaves of A. ginnala, compared to the matt, unlobed or only shallowly lobed leaves of A. tataricum, and are separated by a roughly 3,000 km range gap.[3]

  • Plant in summer; Saratov, Russia
    Plant in summer; Saratov, Russia
  • Flowers; Saratov, Russia
    Flowers; Saratov, Russia
  • Plant in winter; Slovakia
    Plant in winter; Slovakia
  • Foliage and fruit; Serbia
    Foliage and fruit; Serbia
  • Leaves; Neusiedl am See, Austria
    Leaves; Neusiedl am See, Austria

Cultivation and uses

Tatar maple cultivated near the central railway station in Helsinki, Finland.

Tatar maple is occasionally grown as an ornamental plant in gardens throughout Europe and also in North America.[3] In Russia, it is valued in farmland shelterbelts.[4] It is locally naturalised and sometimes invasive in eastern North America.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ Crowley, D. (2018). "Acer tataricum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T193877A2288126. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T193877A2288126.en. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b The Plant List, Acer tataricum L.
  3. ^ a b c d e Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-220013-4.
  4. ^ a b c Ecosystema: Acer tataricum (in Russian; google translation)
  5. ^ a b Flora of China, Acer tataricum Linnaeus, 1753. 鞑靼槭 da da qi
  6. ^ "Acer ginnala". Euro+Med-Plantbase. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  7. ^ NRCS. "Acer ginnala". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  8. ^ NRCS. "Acer tataricum". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2024-10-18.
  9. ^ "Amur maple (Acer ginnala) and Tatarian maple (Acer tataricum)". Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. 2018-10-19. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
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