Acer spicatum Lam.

Acer spicatum belongs to a group of seldom grown maples, restricted largely to collections. It is short-lived and relatively unspectacular in both form and seasonal interest, though Jacobson (1996) notes that, in North America at least, its autumn colour is highly valued. Unsurprisongly hardy, given its mountain habitat to which its common name relates, it has been in cultivation in Britain since 1750 when it was introduced by Archibald Campbell, Duke of Argyll (Bean 1976).

Within its native range it is compared morphologically to the sole North American snakebark maple, Acer pennysylvanicum, from which it is quickly distinguished by its unshowy bark, pubescent shoots and smaller, more coarsely toothed leaves, and its many-flowered, upright inflorescences. A. spicatum shares with A. pennsylvanicum isolation from its closest relatives in eastern Asia, A. caudatum and A. ukurunduense. A. spicatum can be separated from these by its leaves that often have three prominent lobes subtended by two smaller, basal lobes, whereas its Asian relatives are prominantly five-lobed, also with two additional basal lobes.

Though at least historically often available in the North American nursery trade (Jacobson 1996), other maples are evidently preferred and no selections of the species appear to be in circulation. However, it is advocated for use by Sjöman & Anderson (2023), who praise the value of its flowers for pollinating insects though acknowledge a general lack of current availability.

The UK and Irish Champion Acer spicatum grows at Glasnevin, Ireland, where it was measured at 11 m tall in 2012 and some 3 m taller than its closest competitor, at Queenswood Country Park, Herefordshire, measured in 2018 (The Tree Register 2024). Recent introductions to UK collections include plants collected as seed under CRDL 30 in West Virginia in 2006, and several accessions of known wild origin at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, which on the whole have not thrived (T. Christian pers. comm.), though it does well in Scottish west coast gardens. Of three individuals from CRDL 30 planted in 2010 in Silk Wood, Westonbirt, two have attained 4 m as of January 2024, while the third failed to establish after growing at a rate nearly twice as fast as its neighbours for the first few years (pers. obs.).