Acer macrophyllum
| Acer macrophyllum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 98' |
| Width: | 39' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
Acer macrophyllum (common name: oregon maple)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the following spring. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and then stratify for 2 - 4 months at 1 - 8°c. It can be slow to germinate. The seed can be harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it has dried and produced any germination inhibitors) and sown immediately. It should germinate in late winter. If the seed is harvested too soon it will produce very weak plants or no plants at all[1][2]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until they are 20cm or more tall before planting them out in their permanent positions.
Layering, which takes about 12 months, is successful with most species in this genus.
Cuttings of young shoots in June or July. The cuttings should have 2 - 3 pairs of leaves, plus one pair of buds at the base. Remove a very thin slice of bark at the base of the cutting, rooting is improved if a rooting hormone is used. The rooted cuttings must show new growth during the summer before being potted up otherwise they are unlikely to survive the winter.
Cultivation: Of easy cultivation, it prefers a good moist well-drained soil[3] and a position that is at least moderately sunny[3][4]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Chlorosis can sometimes develop as a result of iron deficiency when the plants are grown in alkaline soils, but in general maples are not fussy as to soil pH.
Growth of young plants is rapid in the wild, slowing down after 40 -50 years with a maximum life span of about 275 years[5]. This species thrives in Britain but it can be cut back in a severe winter if that follows a mild autumn[3].
A very ornamental plant[6].
Most maples are bad companion plants, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants[7][8].
Range: Western N. America - southern Alaska to California.
Habitat: Found in a variety of soil types, on the banks of streams, in rich bottom lands and on rocky slopes of mountain valleys[9][5].
Edibility: The sap contains a certain amount of sugar and can either be used as a drink, or can be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water[10][11][12]. The syrup is used as a sweetener on many foods. The concentration of sugar is somewhat lower than in the sugar maples (A. saccharum). The tree trunk is tapped in the early spring, the sap flowing better on warm sunny days following a frost. The best sap production comes from cold-winter areas with continental climates.
Inner bark[11]. Eaten in small quantities with oil[13]. No more details are given but inner bark is often dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread.
The leaves, when wrapped round food during baking, impart a nice flavour to the food[14][15].
Yellow flower clusters - raw. They are sweet with nectar[12].
Seeds - sprouted and then boiled[16]. The sprouted seeds are generally bitter, but the young shoots are quite sweet and juicy[13]. The seeds are about 6mm long and are produced in small clusters[9].
Medicinal: An infusion of the bark has been used in the treatment of TB[13].
The raw sap has been used as a tonic[13].
Usage: The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them[7][8].
A sticky gum obtained from the buds in spring has been mixed with oil and used as a hair tonic[13].
A fibre obtained from the inner bark is used for making scouring pads, rope and crude dresses[14][15][13]. It was harvested in the spring and was also used in making baskets[13].
Young stems are used as coarse twine warp and weft in the manufacture of baskets[13].
Wood - light, soft, not strong, close grained. It is highly valued for timber, furniture and indoor use and is also used for carving bowls, veneer etc[17][18][9][14][15][5]. It makes an excellent fuel, producing a hot smokeless flame[16].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall
Flower Type: Monoecious
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Links
References
- ↑ McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Turner, Nancy. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum, 1979.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Gunther, Erna. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press, 1981.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lauriault, Jean. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1989.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.