Of easy cultivation, it succeeds in most good soils preferring one that is moist and well-drained. Prefers a sunny position but tolerates 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. Plants are hardy to about -25°c. Most maples are bad companion plants, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
None known
Seed - this species does not usually hybridise so seed of garden origin is perfectly all right. It is 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 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 of cultivars can be carried out using the rootstock from any species in the Macrantha section of this genus, which includes the species A. pensylvanicum which is included in the database.
Common in temperate deciduous forests, usually growing in open places along mountain paths or at streamsides and in young secondary forests at elevations of 200 - 1100 metres.
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