| Acer nipponicum | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Sapindaceae |
| Genus: | Acer |
| Section: | Acer sect. Parviflora |
| Series: | Acer ser. Parviflora |
| Species: | A. nipponicum |
| Binomial name | |
| Acer nipponicum Hara 1938 | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Acer nipponicum, occasionally called the Nippon maple, is a species of maple native to Japan. It belongs to the Acer section Parviflora.
Acer nipponicum is a medium-sized deciduous tree, growing to between 15–20 metres (49–66 ft) [2] and averaging 18 metres (59 ft) tall. [3] The branches and trunk have a smooth grey bark, while young twigs are a smooth, slightly lustrous dark green. [3] The flowers of A. nipponicum are generally andromonoecious, but some trees in groves occasionally are androecious, having only male flowers. Wild specimens flower from about Late June and continue through late July depending on elevation, with trees growing at lower elevation starting to bloom in mid June, and some trees flowering through to early August. The species is found in mountainous regions on the islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu in Japan at elevations ranging from 500 to 2,000 metres (1,600 to 6,600 ft). The northernmost groves are near Mount Hachimantai and Mount Iwate in Iwate Prefecture on Honshu. The southernmost groves are in the southeast corner of Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu. [3]
A ribosomal DNA study of Acer species in 2006 placed A. nipponicum along with the related A.caudatum near the base of the phylogenetic trees recovered. [4] A. nipponicum is suggested to be closely related to two of the extinct species of Acer placed in the section Parviflora by paleobotanists Jack Wolfe and Toshimasa Tanai. [5] The species A. browni and A. smileyi were both described by Wolfe and Tanai in 1987 from groups of fossils found in western North America. The slightly older species A. smileyi is suggested by Wolfe and Tanai to have been closer in relation to A. nipponicum than A. browni based on the leaf morphology. [5]
The species was first described by Adrien René Franchet and Paul Amedée Ludovic Savatier as Acer parviflorum in 1877. This name was already taken, having been used in the earlier description of Acer parviflorum by Jakob Friedrich Ehrhart, which in turn is a synonym of Acer spicatum . Noting this situation, in 1938 Hermann Albrecht Hesse renamed the species to Acer brevilobum, but because this renaming was published thirteen days after Hiroshi Hara published his renaming of the species to Acer nipponicum, the A. nipponicum name has priority. [3]
Acer micranthum, the small-leaved maple, is a species of flowering plant in the family Sapindaceae in the snakebark maple group, native to Japan, on Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku. Its Japanese name is the Komine maple.
Acer shirasawanum, the Shirasawa maple or fullmoon maple, is a species of maple native to Japan, on central and southern Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū.
Acer japonicum, the Amur maple, downy Japanese-maple or fullmoon maple, is a species of maple native to Japan, on Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū, and also southern Korea.
Acer carpinifolium is a species of maple native to Japan, on the islands of Honshū, Kyūshū, and Shikoku, where it grows in woodlands and alongside streams in mountainous areas.
Acer capillipes, is a maple in the same taxonomic section as other snakebark maples such as A. pensylvanicum, A. davidii and A. rufinerve. It is native to mountainous regions in Japan, on central and southern Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku islands, usually growing alongside mountain streams.
Acer rufinerve, the grey-budded snake-bark-maple, redvein maple or Honshū maple, is a species of tree in the snakebark maple group, related to Acer capillipes. It is native to mountain forests of Japan, on Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku.
Acer crataegifolium , is a species of maple in the snakebark maple group, native to mountains forests of central and southern Japan, on Honshū, Kyūshū, and Shikoku.
Acer sieboldianum is a species of maple native to Japan and common in the forests of Hokkaidō, Honshū, Shikoku and Kyūshū Islands; in the south of the range it is restricted to mountain forests. It is named after Philipp Franz von Siebold.
Acer cissifolium is a maple native to Japan, from southern Hokkaidō south through Honshū and Shikoku to Kyūshū.
Mount Hayachine is the highest mountain in the Kitakami Range, located in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshū, Japan. With an elevation of 1,917 m (6,289 ft), it is the second highest in Iwate Prefecture after Mount Iwate. Mount Hayachine is mentioned in 100 Famous Japanese Mountains, a book written in 1964 by Kyūya Fukada. The mountain is on the borders of the municipalities of Hanamaki, Tōno, and Miyako, east of the prefectural capital of Morioka.
Acer browni is an extinct maple species in the family Sapindaceae described from a series of isolated fossil leaves and samaras. The species is known from the early to middle Miocene sediments exposed in Western Oregon, Washington state, USA and Northern Graham Island, Haida Gwaii, Canada. It is one of several extinct species placed in the living section Parviflora.
Acer smileyi is an extinct maple species in the family Sapindaceae described from a series of isolated fossil leaves and samaras. The species is known from the late Oligocene to middle Miocene sediments exposed in the states of Alaska, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon, USA. It is one of several extinct species placed in the living section Parviflora.
Acer dettermani is an extinct maple species in the family Sapindaceae described from a series of isolated fossil leaves. The species is known from the late Eocene to early Oligocene sediments exposed in the state of Alaska, USA. It is one of several extinct species placed in the living section Macrantha.
Acer latahense is an extinct maple species in the family Sapindaceae described from series of isolated fossil leaves. The species is known from the latest early to middle Miocene sediments exposed in the states of Oregon and Washington, USA. It is one of several extinct species placed in the living section Macrantha.
Acer palaeorufinerve is an extinct maple species in the family Sapindaceae described from series of isolated fossil samaras and leaves. The species was described from Miocene to Pliocene aged fossils found in Japan and is known from Korean fossils and Miocene sediments exposed in the state of Alaska, USA. It is one of several extinct species placed in the living section Macrantha.
Acer ferrignoi is an extinct maple species in the family Sapindaceae described from a group of fossil leaves. The species is known from Miocene sediments exposed in Oregon, US. It is one of several extinct species belonging to the living section Rubra.
Acer argutum, commonly known in English as pointed-leaf maple and in Japanese as asanoha-kaede, is a species of deciduous flowering tree native to Japan. It is a member of the genus Acer, in the family Sapindaceae. It has an upright growth habit and can reach heights of 10 m (33 ft) tall.
Acer distylum, the lime-leaved maple or linden leaved maple, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Acer, native to north Honshu Island of Japan. Its closest relative is Acer nipponicum, with which it is grouped in the Acer section Parviflora.
Acer spitzi is an extinct maple species in the family Sapindaceae described from a single fossil samara. The species is solely known from the Early Eocene sediments exposed in northeast Washington state, United States. It is the only species belonging to the extinct section Spitza.