Acer caudatum is here treated in a wider sense, including Acer ukurunduense Trautv. & C.A.Mey., as a subspecies. This is not universally accepted, with Acer ukurunduense being treated as distinct in treatments such as the Flora of China[] and the on-line GRIN database[].

Common Name:

General Information

Acer caudatum is a deciduous tree that can grow up to 10 metres tall[].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a tea and source of wood.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - Russian Federation (Amur, Sakhalin), China, Japan, Korea, northern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar

Habitat

Generally found in open ravines on shady aspects; at elevations from 2,100 - 3,300 metres[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	20.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Acer caudatum is a tree of the temperate zone, moving into the subtropical zone at higher elevations. It is a moderately cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -20°c when dormant[].
Of easy cultivation, it prefers a good moist well-drained soil[], preferring a sunny position but tolerating some shade[, ]. 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.
A slow growing tree[].
Most maples are bad companion plants, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants[, ].

Edible Uses

The leaves are used for tea[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

We have two reports that the leaves of maple species, when laid in layers between crops such as apples, carrots and potatoes, have a preservative effect[, ]. The reports do not name any specific species[].

The wood is white with a faint pink tinge - it is almost all sapwood, sometimes with small masses of heartwood near the centre. The wood is compact, moderately hard with a good silvery grain[].

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.