31 July 2015

Trunk of the Month: July 2015: Acer palmatum


This deciduous tree tends to be grown for their interesting foliage and beautiful autumn colour. The epithet of this species is palmatum due to the foliage having at least 5 toothed lobes. There are said to be over 1000 cultivars of this species, which is not surprising due to the prized foliage.

However, I've chosen it for it's lovely bark.

This must be a fairly young tree, as the Collins Complete British Trees, states that the bark is brown with young trees showing paler patches. This patterning really caught my eye and I was really taken with the tree when I saw the amount of moss growing over it.


For me, what really makes a plant spectacular is multi-faceted. Beautiful foliage or flowers just isn't enough. I need to have at least some idea of how the plant fits into its surroundings. Providing a habitat for other organisms is one way that a species can leave a mark. However, even the allelopathy for species such as bracken can bring a deep wonder into the magnificence of the world around us, leaving a deep imprint. I can be fairly sure that this Acer wasn't chosen for its ability to provide indentations in the surface of the bark that allow other organisms to survive, but due to the location within the arboretum it was planted, it has done much more than provide an autumnal opportunity for photographers desperate to get that most perfect red foliage shot. It has provided a place for other organisms to flourish.

Resources:
Sterry, Paul. British Trees: A Photographic Guide to Every Common Species. First Edition edition. London: Collins, 2008.
Acer palmatum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2015. Acer palmatum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_palmatum. [Accessed 30 October 2015].

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