Common Name: Cappadocian Maple

General Information

Acer cappadocicum is a deciduous tree that can grow up to 20 metres tall[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for mainly local use of its wood. It has been suggested as of value in soil stabilization projects in dry valleys in Turkey, and is also grown as an ornamental in gardens.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Asia - Turkey, Caucasus, Iran, China (Gansu, Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan), Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, Bhutan

Habitat

Dry valleys[]. Mixed forests; at elevations from 1,500 - 3,000 metres[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Acer cappadocicum is a moderately cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -20°c when dormant[]..
Acer species are generally of easy cultivation, growing best in full sun or light, dappled shade and succeeding in most well-drained but moisture-retentive soils[, ]. This species succeeds in chalky soils[]. Established plants are drought tolerant.
There is much confusion between this maple and Acer mono (formerly known as Acer pictum) and many trees bearing the label 'Acer pictum' are really cappadocicum. The best means of distinguishing between the two (as seen in cultivation) is by the second-year wood; in Acer cappadocicum this remains smooth and greenish or purplish, while in Acer mono it becomes wrinkled or fissured and grey-brown[].
The plant is andromonoecious, producing both male flowers and hermaphrodite flowers[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant has been suggested as of value in soil stabilization projects in dry valleys in Turkey[].

Other Uses

The white wood is soft to moderately hard, close-grained with a pretty, fine silver-grain. The wood is used for construction, ploughs, bedsteads, and poles to carry loads. Tibetan drinking-cups are made of the knotty excrescences[].

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[, ]. 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 early summer . 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.