Acer laurinum Hassk.

In the wild Acer laurinum is a magnificent tree, of true ‘tropical forest’ appearance, given by its glossy evergreen leaves with a long drip-tip. It is indeed a constituent of the Asian tropical forests over a huge range, so it is not surprising that it is extremely tender. It was grown in the Netherlands for some years, but all stock perished in the 1991–1992 winter, so that its extinction in cultivation was bemoaned (van Gelderen & van Gelderen 1999). However, in 1990 seed was collected by Keith Rushforth (KR 1983) in northern Vietnam, and specimens from this source are now established in southwestern England. One at Tregrehan, planted in 1995, has made a very beautiful tree of 5–6 m, that has flowered and fruited since it was only 3 m tall (Hudson 2004), the flowers appearing in autumn. This individual has quite broad leaves, dark glossy green above with a bluish glaucous underside, and so far has retained a greenish stem. Acer laurinum is also in cultivation at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. It is clear that provenance makes a great deal of difference to the survival chances of this species in cultivation, but a very sheltered, favourable site will always be needed. If this is not available it would make a lovely conservatory specimen.