Acer miaotaiense Tsoong

A deciduous tree to 25 m in the wild. Bark grey to pale brown, with shallow, fissures. Branchlets glabrous, brown, often developing corky ridges. Buds small, ovoid to ellipsoid, with 4 to 10 pairs of imbricate scales, brown. Leaves broadly ovate to pentagonal in outline, base cordate to subcordate, 3– to 5-lobed with broad sinuses, 5–8 × (4–)7–9(–10) cm, lobes apically obtuse or acute, margins entire to undulate or lobulate, upper surface mid to dark green, pubescent at first, lower surface pale green, pubescent throughout, at least at first; petiole to 5–6 cm long, green to red, faintly grooved, broadening at base, exuding a milky sap when broken; autumn colours yellow. Inflorescence terminal, corymbose-paniculate, ~10 flowered. Flowers yellowish-green, 5-merous, usually dioecious, sepals oblong, ~0.4 cm long, ciliate, petals obovate-lanceolate, ciliate, as long sepals, stamens 8, inserted in the middle or outside the nectar disc. Samaras 2–2.5(–4) cm long, wings spreading horizontally. Nutlets flattened. Flowering in May, appearing with leaves, fruiting in October. (Xu et al. 2008).

Distribution  China south eastern Gansu, south western Henan, north western Hubei, southern Shaanxi, Zhejiang

Habitat Temperate mixed forests between 700 and 1600 m asl.

USDA Hardiness Zone 5

RHS Hardiness Rating H6

Conservation status Data deficient (DD)

Taxonomic note The species was included as a subspecies of Acer miyabei by van Gelderen et al. (1994) but at species rank by Xu et al. (2008), whose treatment is followed here. A. yangjuechi, treated as a synonym here and representing the eastern most end of the species’ range as currently understood, is considered a distinct species by some authors, and this interpretation may become accepted in the future.