Maples from Around the World 1
Manitoba Maple
Over the five years 2015 - 2020, Cambridge Tree Trust has been planting a maple arboretum, which now has approximately 35 different species of maple from North America, Europe, and Asia. The area is accessed from Thornton Road and there is a gravelled walking path. Take a stroll in spring as the lovely new leaves unfold, or in late autumn to admire the gorgeous leaf colours.
From North America we have big, handsome trees, often displaying brilliant autumn colour. These include, from the Eastern states, the sugar maple (Acer Saccharum) which of course gives us maple syrup, the red maple (A. rubrum), and the silver maple (A. saccharinum) so-called because of the soft lustre on the back of its leaves. There is also the lovely snake-bark maple (A. pensylvanicum) known as moosewood, a smaller tree and therefore at the mercy of browsing moose. From the Midwest we have the Manitoba maple (A. negundo violaceum), remarkable for its delicate pink flowers in spring (shown). Finally from the Northwestern states we have recently planted the big-leafed Oregon maple (A. macrophyllum).
Europe has fewer species of maple, but they tend to be very hardy types. In the arboretum we have the tall Norway maple (A. platanoides), and the more moderate-sized Caucasian maple (A. cappadocicum), both suitable for street planting, and also the humble field maple (A. campestre) which is used in Europe to form hedges.
Finally we have a large number of elegant Asian species, which tend to be smaller, and in Japan are a cornerstone of garden design. But these will be discussed in next month’s article.
