Acer crataegifolium

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids II
Ordo: Sapindales

Familia: Sapindaceae
Subfamilia: Hippocastanoideae
Tribus: Acereae
Genus: Acer
Species: Acer crataegifolium
Name

Acer crataegifolium Siebold & Zucc., Abh. Math.-Phys. Cl. Königl. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. 4(2): 155 (1845).
References
Additional references

Ohwi, J. 1965. Flora of Japan (translated by F.G. Meyer & E.M. Walker). 1067 pp. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. BHL Reference page.
Murray, A.E., 1970. A monograph of the Aceraceae. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University. Reference page.
Gelderen, D.M. van, Jong, P.C.de & Oterdoom, H.J. 1994. Maples of the world. Timber Press, Portland, Or., 458 pp. ISBN 0-88192-000-2. Reference page.
Govaerts, R.H.A. 1995. World Checklist of Seed Plants 1(1, 2). 483, 529 pp. MIM, Deurne. ISBN 90-341-0852-X (issue 1) ISBN 90-341-0853-8 (issue 2). Reference page.
Iwatsuki, K., Boufford, D.E. & Ohba, H. (eds.) 1999. Flora of Japan IIc. Angiospermae, Dicotyledoneae, Archichlamydeae(c). 328 pp., Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo. ISBN 978-4-06-154606-6 Reference page.
Akiyama, S., Thijsse, G., Esser, H.-J. & Ohba, H. 2015. Siebold and Zuccarini's type specimens and original materials from Japan, part 7. Angiosperms. Dicotyledoneae 6. The Journal of Japanese Botany 90(5): 317–341. PDF Reference page.

Links

USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Acer crataegifolium in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 08-Apr-12.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Acer crataegifolium in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2020 January 9. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Acer crataegifolium. Published online. Accessed: 9 January 2020.

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Weißdornblättriger Ahorn
English: Hawthorn-leaved Maple
日本語: ウリカエデ
polski: Klon głogolistny

Acer crataegifolium (hawthorn-leaf maple or uri maple; Japanese: ウリカエデ urikaede, "melon maple"), is a species of maple in the snakebark maple group, native to mountains forests of central and southern Japan, on Honshū (Fukushima southward), Kyūshū, and Shikoku.[1][2][3][4]

It is a deciduous small tree or shrub that grows to a height of 5–10 m, with a trunk up to 30 cm diameter. The bark is green to greenish-brown, with narrow vertical white or pale grey stripes; the young shoots are slender, green to purplish-red and the buds purplish-red. The leaves are 5–8 cm (rarely to 15 cm) long and 4–7 cm broad, dark green to bluish green and often tinged reddish above, paler green below, ovate-triangular, and may be either unlobed or three-lobed; the petiole is red, 2–3 cm long. The flowers are small, pale yellow, produced on arched to drooping racemes 3–5 cm long. The fruit is a paired samara 1–2 cm long, pink or red maturing brown, with nutlets not more than 4 mm wide.[1][2][3][5]

There are two varieties:[3]

Acer crataegifolium var. crataegifolium. Leaves up to 7 cm long.
Acer crataegifolium var. macrophyllum Hara. Leaves up to 15 cm long.

The Japanese name urikaede refers to the bark pattern resembling the skin of a melon, as also in the similar bark of Acer rufinerve (urihadakaede).[1] The scientific name derives from the supposed resemblance of its leaves to those of hawthorns (Crataegus), though this is somewhat fanciful, only making sense if certain species of hawthorn are considered.[5]
Cultivation

Though first introduced to England by Charles Maries of Veitch Nursery in 1879[6] it is a somewhat difficult maple to propagate, and rarely seen outside of sizable collections. Examples may be seen in Westonbirt Arboretum (Gloucestershire, England) and the Arnold Arboretum (Boston, USA). The rare cultivars 'Me uri no ofu' and 'Veitchii' both have striking white and pink variegation.[3]
References

Kanon tree book: Acer crataegifolium[permanent dead link] (in Japanese; google translation)
Kanagawa Prefecture trees and shrubs: Acer crataegifolium Archived 2009-10-24 at WebCite (in Japanese; google translation). Archived 2009-10-24.
van Gelderen, C. J. & van Gelderen, D. M. (1999). Maples for Gardens: A Color Encyclopedia
"Acer crataegifolium". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2 January 2018.
Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins ISBN 0-00-220013-9.
Moore, D.; White, J. (2005) [1st pub. 2002]. "Maples". The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees (2nd ed.). Portland, Oregon: Timber press. p. 639. ISBN 0-88192-751-1.