Acer monspessulanum, known as Montpellier Maple, is a species of maple native to the Mediterranean region from Morocco and Portugal in the west, to Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel in the east, and north to the Jura Mountains in France and the Eifel in Germany.
Acer monspessulanum is a medium-sized deciduous tree or densely branched shrub that grows to a height of 10–15 m (rarely to 20 m). The trunk is up to 75 cm diameter, with smooth, dark grey bark on young trees, becoming finely fissured on old trees. Among similar maples is most easily distinguished by its small three-lobed leaves, glossy dark green, sometimes a bit leathery, and with a smooth margin. The leaves fall very late in autumn, typically in November. The flowers are produced in spring, in pendulous, yellow to white corymbs.
This maple tree is popular among bonsai enthusiasts. In both cases, the smallish leaves and shrubby habit of the maple respond well to techniques to encourage leaf reduction and ramification. These bonsai have an appearance distinct from those created from maples such as Acer palmatum whose leaves are more frilly and translucent.
Info source: wikipedia.org
Genus - Acer
Species - Monspessulanum
Common name - Montpelier Maple
Pre-Treatment - Required
Hardiness zones - 5 - 9
Height - 20-50' (6-15 m)
Spread - 12-20' (3,70 - 6 m)
Plant type - Tree
Vegetation type - Deciduous
Exposure - Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade
Growth rate - Medium
Soil PH - Acidic, neutral, alkaline (pH 5.6-8.5)
Soil type - Clay, loam, well drained
Water requirements - Average Water
Landscape uses - Shade tree for medium or large gardens, parks. Popular among bonsai enthusiasts
Germination rate - 69%
Bloom season - Mid Spring
Leaf / Flower color - Green / Yellow green
Useful Info | |
Germination | 1. Start the cold stratification process one month before the beginning of spring. 2. Place the seeds in a glass bowl and cover with room temperature water. Allow the seeds to soak for a minimum of 24 hours but no longer than 48 hours. 3. Hold a handful of sterile peat planting medium under a running faucet until the peat is soaked. Squeeze most of the water out of the peat, leaving it moist but not soggy. Place the moist peat into a zip-lock plastic bag. 4. Remove the seeds from the bowl of water and rinse them off under clean running water. Place up to three seeds into the plastic bag containing the peat. Use more peat and plastic bags if you want to germinate more than three seeds. 5. Push the seeds into the peat and seal the plastic bag. Shake the bag to distribute the peat so that it covers the seeds completely. The seeds must be buried in the moist peat in order to germinate. 6. Place the sealed bag in the bottom of the refrigerator. This will serve as the cold stratification. The seeds need to be kept at 34 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of 35 days, but not longer than 90 days. 7. Open the plastic bag periodically to make sure the peat is still moist. Add water as needed to restore the moisture. 8. Check the weather forecast after 35 days. You can plant the seeds outdoors if all danger of frost has passed. You can wait up to 55 more days, if there is still a possibility of frost and plant the seeds as late as early summer. 9. Plant the seeds by removing them from the peat and rinsing them with clean water. Bury the seeds 1/4 to 1 inch deep into the soil, ensuring that the seeds are covered. Keep the soil moist until the seeds sprout. |