Acer circinatum, or vine maple, is a species of maple native to western North America. Vine maple typically grows as a low-elevation costal tree in temperate areas of high precipitation such as the west coast of Oregon and northern California, as well as the rain forests of Washington State and British Columbia. [1] Vine maples play an important role in conserving the biodiversity of lowland ecosystems by enriching upper soil layers and providing habitat for other organisms. [2] [3] [4]
Vine maple | |
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Vine maple leaves and flowers | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Sapindales |
Family: | Sapindaceae |
Genus: | Acer |
Section: | Acer sect. Palmata |
Series: | Acer ser. Palmata |
Species: | A. circinatum |
Binomial name | |
Acer circinatum | |
Natural range | |
Synonyms [6] | |
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Acer circinatum grows as a many-stemmed shrub-like tree. It most commonly reaches a height between 5 and 8 meters (16–26 feet), but can occasionally reach 18 meters (59 feet). [7] It commonly grows as a spray of slender stems from 3–10 cm (1–4 in), but in more tree-like specimens the trunk can reach 25 cm (10 in). [7] Shoots are slender with smooth, hairless bark. [8] [9]
Vine maple leaves are coarsely toothed and 3 to 14 cm (1 1/4 to 5 1/2 in) in length. They are palmately lobed with 7-11 lobes, the lobe-points forming a nearly circular pattern. In the autumn, the leaves turn bright yellow to orange red. Vine maples produce single flowers (a single flower is a flower that produces one fruit) that are 6–9 mm (1/4-3/8 in) in diameter, with dark red sepals and 5 yellow petals. The fruit, a two-seeded winged samara, is adapted for wind-dispersal. Each wing is 2–4 cm in length, and holds a seed approximately 9 mm (3/8 in) in diameter. [9]
Vine maple trees can grow by cloning, which happens when a new shoot develops from a root or branch of the tree. Occasionally, flexible vine maple branches will bend over and grow into the ground to form natural arch. [10] This cloning characteristic, known as layering, [10] [11] [12] [13] allows vine maple stands to grow quickly, and makes vine maple a good contender for secondary succession after a woodland overstory disturbance. [12]
Acer circinatum is part of the Palmatum group of maple native to East Asia and North America with its closest relatives being Acer japonicum (fullmoon maple) [14] and Acer pseudosieboldianum (Korean maple). [15]
Acer circinatum can be found from southwest British Columbia to northern California, usually within 300 km (186 mi) of the Pacific Ocean, specifically along the Columbia Gorge and throughout coastal forests. [8] [9] It is found no further inland than the east side of the Cascade Range. [7] Acer circinatum is most often found growing interspersed within conifer forests of Douglas fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ), Hemlock ( Tsuga heterophylla ), and Cedar ( Thuja plicata ). [8] [9] Vine maples are also known to occasionally establish small colonial gaps within conifer forests, where they proliferate after an overstory disturbance (such as the death of a large tree), and are able to maintain the gap by preventing the re-establishment of larger trees. [16] [17]
Various birds, such as nuthatches, chickadees, grosbeaks, warblers, waxwings, vireos, and woodpeckers eat the seeds of this species, [3] [2] as well as mammals such as squirrels and chipmunks. [16] Deer and elk also browse the foliage, and beavers will eat the bark of young specimens. [16] Vine maples also host a variety of epiphytes (non parasitic organisms that grow on other organisms) such as mosses and lichens. [4] Though small compared to the conifer forests they inhabit, vine maples are a good contender for forest resources. Due to the speed at which they grow and spread, vine maples are able to establish and maintain dominance in natural forest clearings and quickly colonize new openings in the canopy caused by tree mortality. [17] Vine maples are an important member of the forest ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest because they cycle nutrients more quickly than conifers do, and therefore create thinner, more nutrient-rich forest floor layers that promote biodiversity. [17] Vine maples drop more leaf litter than conifers, and their leaves decompose faster, leading to higher concentrations of N, P Ca, Mg, K, Fe, and Zn near the surface of the forest floor. [17]
Acer circinatum likely entered western North America in the mid Pliocene (5.3-2.6 mya). [18] Despite its isolation from many of the Asian species with which it shares a common ancestor, Acer circinatum has not diverged significantly from its Asian relatives in either appearance or genetics. [14]
It is occasionally cultivated outside its native range as an ornamental tree, from Juneau, Alaska, [19] and Ottawa, Ontario, [20] to Huntsville, Alabama, [21] and also in northwestern Europe. [22]
The Quinault people used the shoots to weave baskets. [7]
Devil's club or Devil's walking stick is a large understory shrub native to the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, but also disjunct on islands in Lake Superior. It is noted for its large palmate leaves and erect, woody stems covered in noxious and irritating spines. It is also known as Alaskan ginseng and similar names, although it is not a true ginseng.
Gaultheria shallon is an evergreen shrub in the heather family (Ericaceae), native to western North America. In English, it is known as salal, shallon, or gaultheria.
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Acer macrophyllum, the bigleaf maple or Oregon maple, is a large deciduous tree in the genus Acer.
Juglans cinerea, commonly known as butternut or white walnut, is a species of walnut native to the eastern United States and southeast Canada.
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Fraxinus latifolia, the Oregon ash, is a member of the ash genus Fraxinus, native to western North America.
Acer is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, along with lychee and horse chestnut. There are approximately 132 species, most of which are native to Asia, with a number also appearing in Europe, northern Africa, and North America. Only one species, Acer laurinum, extends to the Southern Hemisphere. The type species of the genus is the sycamore maple, Acer pseudoplatanus, the most common maple species in Europe. Maples usually have easily recognizable palmate leaves and distinctive winged fruits. The closest relatives of the maples are the horse chestnuts. Maple syrup is made from the sap of some maple species. It is one of the most common genera of trees in Asia. Many maple species are grown in gardens where they are valued for their autumn colour.
Acer glabrum is a species of maple native to western North America, from southeastern Alaska, British Columbia and western Alberta, east to western Nebraska, and south through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Colorado to California, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico.
Rhododendron maximum is a species of Rhododendron native to the Appalachians of eastern North America, from Alabama north to coastal Nova Scotia. Its common names include great laurel, great rhododendron, rosebay rhododendron, American rhododendron and big rhododendron.
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The Ecology of the North Cascades is heavily influenced by the high elevation and rain shadow effects of the mountain range. The North Cascades is a section of the Cascade Range from the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River in Washington, United States, to the confluence of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers in British Columbia, Canada, where the range is officially called the Cascade Mountains but is usually referred to as the Canadian Cascades. The North Cascades Ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion in the Commission for Environmental Cooperation's classification system.
Armillaria ostoyae is a species of fungus (mushroom), pathogenic to trees, in the family Physalacriaceae. In the western United States, it is the most common variant of the group of species under the name Armillaria mellea. A. ostoyae is common on both hardwood and conifer wood in forests west of the Cascade Range in Oregon, United States. It has decurrent gills and the stipe has a ring. The mycelium invades the sapwood and is able to disseminate over great distances under the bark or between trees in the form of black rhizomorphs ("shoestrings"). In most areas of North America, Armillaria ostoyae can be separated from other species by its physical features: cream-brown colors, prominent cap scales, and a well-developed stem ring distinguish it from other Armillaria. Like several other Armillaria, the mycelium of Armillaria ostoyae can display bioluminescence, resulting in foxfire.
Acer palmatum, commonly known as Japanese maple, palmate maple, or smooth Japanese maple (Korean: danpungnamu, 단풍나무, Japanese: irohamomiji, イロハモミジ, or momiji,, is a species of woody plant native to Korea, Japan, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. Many different cultivars of this maple have been selected and they are grown worldwide for their large variety of attractive forms, leaf shapes, and spectacular colors.
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Actaea elata is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family known by the common name tall bugbane. It is native to the Pacific Northwest of North America, where it can be found in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon.