Vine maple
Description
Leaves
Form
- Almost circular
- 7–9 radiating lobes and corresponding number of veins
- Lobes narrowly triangular, separated by narrow V-shaped notches
- Lower surface downy in spring becoming hairless
Length
- 3–10 cm
Width
- 3–10 cm
Colour
- Upper surface bright yellowish-green
- Lower surface pale green
Autumn colour
- Red or yellow
Margin
- Single- or double-toothed
Buds
Form
- Terminal bud absent
- Lateral buds small
- 1–2 pairs of hairless scales
- Inner scales hairy
Colour
- Red
Twigs
Form
- Terminal bud present when a flower bud occupies the terminal position
- Slender, hairless
Colour
- Green
Autumn colour
- Often becoming red
Flowers
Form
- 5 sepals
- 5 smaller petals
- Arranged on slender branched stalks (corymbs) in loose, drooping terminal clusters
Width
- About 12 mm
Colour
- Sepals purple or red
- Petals white
Structure
- Polygamo-monoecious
Floral timing
- When the leaves are half grown
Fruits
Form
- Seedcase swollen, ridged
- Hairless
- Mature in late autumn
- Angle between wings almost 180°
Length
- Wings 25–38 mm
Colour
- Red or rose-coloured during summer
Structure
- Samara
- In joined pairs
Bark
Form
- Thin, smooth
- Sometimes marked by shallow crevices
Colour
- Greenish becoming bright reddish-brown
Size
Height
- To 10 m
Diameter
- To 15 cm
Tree form
Forest-grown
Trunk
- Short, crooked
- Often prostrate, with twisted, spreading limbs
Crown
- Low, broad, irregular
Habitat
Site
- Often a constituent of the forest understory
- Along stream banks
- Also found in forest openings and on recently logged areas
- Sometimes grows in clumps or patches
Light tolerance
- Shade-tolerant
Range
Southern British Columbia
Insects and diseases
Diseases
Insects and diseases that are found most frequently and/or that cause the most damage in our Canadian forests.
Distribution map
