Acer oblongum, common name Himalayan maple, evergreen maple and Kashmir maple, is an evergreen Asian species of maple in the family Sapindaceae.
Description
Acer oblongum is a medium-sized evergreen to semi-deciduous tree reaching a height of approximately . Unique among maples, this plant stays green all winter. The trunks are buttressed, with a smooth to wrinkled bark. Leaves are opposite, ovate-lanceolate with entire margin, with a petiole 5–12 cm long, with glaucous-green underside and dark green upperside. The young shoots are reddish bronze and finely hairy. The flowers are hermaphroditic, small and inconspicuous, about 4 mm, greenish white, gathered in hairy racemes. The fruits are represented by the typical two-winged samaras, about 2.5 cm long, wind dispersed. It has been introduced for its wood and it is sometimes cultivated in large gardens for its evergreen foliage.Philips, Roger (1979). Trees of North America and Europe. New York: Random House, Inc. .
Distribution Acer oblongum is widespread across central, eastern, and southeastern Asia, from Tibet and northern India east as far as Japan, including southern China, and northern Indochina.Flora of China, Acer oblongum Wallich ex Candolle, 1824. 飞蛾树 fei e shu
Varieties Three varieties are accepted. Acer oblongum var. itoanum – Ryukyu Islands Acer oblongum var. oblongum – northeastern Pakistan to central and southern China and northern Indochina Acer oblongum var. omeiense – Sichuan
Habitat Acer oblongum prefers humid climate of the Himalayan forests, especially along streams, at an elevation of about above sea level.Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. Edinburgh and Glasgow 8:329. 1915
References
External links
Oregon State University Dipbot, Hortus Botanicus Catinensis, Botanical Department - University of Catania photo