Acer monspessulanum L.

Eight subspecies, five varieties and one form of Acer monspessulanum were recognised by van Gelderen et al. (1994), but only subsp. monspessulanum, subsp. ibericum and subsp. turcomanicum appear to be in cultivation. It is most commonly observed in its typical form, which is the only subspecies native to Europe (van Gelderen et al. 1994). Those from further afield are mostly distinguishable from one another in their floral characters (Yaltirik 1967), and while illustrations of A. monspessulanum often depict small, uniformly three-lobed leaves, the species is in fact rather more variable in leaf characters. More five-lobed leaves than expected were apparent on plants collected from southern Italy under WITA 48 and 59, which are currently establishing at Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire. A plant of TUDI 173, from western Turkey, is growing slowly but steadily there also.

As Bean (1976a) states, the species does well in and near London, with impressive old examples at Kew. The UK and Ireland champion, growing on the Munden Estate, Hertfordshire, measured 17 m tall in 2018 (The Tree Register 2018). Younger examples on the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading also enjoy the heat of the southeast of England, though it also grows well in the north of the country, with an example at Blagdon Hall, Northumberland, measured at 14 m in 2013 (The Tree Register 2018). The species is also present in numerous collections in North America, including the Arnold Arboretum, Boston, the Morton Arboretum, Illinois and the University of Washington Botanic Gardens (American Public Gardens Association 2017). At its best, as well as a fine show of flowers in spring, Acer monspessulanum produces strong, orange autumn colour. As noted by Grimshaw & Bayton (2009, p. 91), ‘Acer monspessulanum is a charming small tree that deserves wider planting’. It is apparently also used as a hedge plant in the south of Europe. (Bean 1976a).