Tre e C a re A d v i s o r N ew s l e t t e r http:// www.mntca.org
Gary Johnson and Dave Hanson, Managing Editors
Inside This Issue:
Volume 9 Number 4
Welcome to the Fall 2002 issue of the Tree Care Advisor Newsletter. Prepare yourself
Snake Bark Maples By Mike Zins
1 for an introduction to the family Aceraceae. Cliff Johnson mentions several Acer species in
Quick Hits / Volunteer Opps By Dave Hanson
2 negundo. Mike Zins begins the family introduction with “Snakebark” maples (Acer rufinerve
Putting Down Roots: By Cliff Johnson
3
Dirt & Things: By Bob Condon
4
Autumn Color - A List
5
Rose Research at Bailey Nursery By Esther Filson
6 maples are an interesting but
Transplanting… By Gary Johnson
8
A Printable Letter
17
TCAAG report
18
Contacts
20
his article on fall colors, while Bob Condon focuses solely on one of his favorite trees: Acer is an example).
Trunk and leaves of Snake Bark Maple - St. Paul Campus.
The Snakebark Maples The Snakebark or striped
small group of trees rarely seen in this area. They are generally small in stature and could easily be considered large shrubs. Most of them tend to be plants of borderline hardiness in Minnesota, but certainly worth trying in sheltered locations. These beautiful little trees will never be used for street tree plantings or become household words in our botanical discussions but properly placed specimens could become the center of casual backyard conversation! In the systematic scheme of taxonomy, there are about 14 species grouped together in the section Macrantha of the family Aceraceae. Much of the present classification system is put forth by P.C. deJong based on biochemical studies by Delendick and
Santamour. (Dr. Frank Santamour, now deceased, earned his doctorate at the University of Minnesota and concluded a career as a geneticist at the National Arboretum in Washington D.C.) That aside, 13 species are Asiatic in origin and the 14th member is a native of eastern North America from Nova Scotia to Minnesota and south to Georgia. The species in this group do get along though and unlike any other maple group, they easily hybridize with each other, even with their North American counterpart. So, by placing these species together in a living plant collection such as at an Arboretum, one could really see the results of this leafy woodstock of carefree pollen disbursement and unseen orgy of pollination if the resulting seeds were grown out. Figuring out who Daddy was might prove interesting if not futile!
The group as a whole is pretty homogenous as they all tend to be small trees conspicuously white-striped on green bark. This bark color may vary a bit in shades of green to reddish green. The leaves tend to be 3 to 5 lobed with serrated margins. They can be up to 6” across on some species. Most of the leaves will not attain a good fall color here and tend to remain green to yellow. The seeds are typical maple seeds but again can be variable in size. All the snakebark maples have stalked, valvate buds. Continued on page 16 Acer Rufinerve: leaves and seeds on a specimen in Mullins Woods on the U of M St. Paul Campus.