PLANT OF THE MONTH

November 2020 — Nikko Maple

Common Name:  Nikko Maple

Latin Name:   Acer maximowiczianum

Family:  Sapindaceae

Type:  Deciduous tree

Origin:   Southern China, Japan

Location at Bloedel Reserve:   Gatehouse

Garden Uses:  Fall color, shade tree

Fun Fact:   Like most maples this time of year, this specimen of maple really shows some spectacular fall color, its leaves ranging from bright pink to orange and red. Common maples have palmate leaves. This specimen’s leaves are characterized as “trifolate” because they are divided into three leaflets. This particular maple species was discovered in Japan by Carl Johann Maximowicz, a Russian botanist who collected plants during the 1850s and ’60s in South America, as well as across Asia, for the Imperial Botanical Garden in St. Petersburg.

Fun Fact: Maximowicz’s name is embedded in this plant’s botanical name, making it something of a tongue twister. Try pronouncing it out loud  —  A-ser  max-im-o-wix-ee-A-num.