Acer pensylvanicum
| Acer pensylvanicum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Height: | 15' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
Acer pensylvanicum (common name: moosewood)
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.
Grafting is not usually advised for this species, though any cultivars can be grafted onto rootstocks of the species.
Cultivation: Of easy cultivation, it prefers a sunny position or light dappled shade and a good moist well-drained soil but succeeds on most soils, especially those on the acid side, and dislikes alkaline soils[3][4]. Grows well in heavy clay soils.
Plants are hardy to about -25°c when they are fully dormant[4].
A good tree for street planting[4].
Most maples are bad companion plants, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants[5][6].
Range: Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia to Georgia, west to Michigan.
Habitat: Moist rich woodlands, often by water, from sea level to 1,000 metres[4][7]. Usually in the shade of other trees and occasionally forming a large part of the shrubby undergrowth[8].
Medicinal: A tea made from the inner bark is used in the treatment of colds, coughs, bronchitis, kidney infections, gonorrhoea and the spitting of blood[9]. A wash is used externally on swollen limbs and as a wash for paralysis[9].
A tea made from the leaves and twigs is used to both allay and induce vomiting, depending on the dosage[9].
Usage: The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them[5][6].
The wood is light, soft, close-grained and satiny, it weighs 33lb per cubic foot[8][10]. It is not used commercially, though it is sometimes used for fuel[11].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
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.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ Lauriault, Jean. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1989.