Hornbeam Maple
Acer carpinifolium
Family: Aceraceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Green. Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Rounded, Spreading or horizontal, Upright or erect.
Acer carpinifolium is a deciduous Shrub growing to 10 m (32ft) by 6 m (19ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5. It is in flower in May, and the seeds ripen in October. The species is dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). . The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 10
Where it is found
Valleys and ravines in mountains all over Japan. Common in temperate deciduous forests, usually in moist sites along streams at elevations of 200 - 1300 metres.
E. Asia - central and southern Japan
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
The sap contains a certain amount of sugar and can either be used as a drink, or can be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water. The syrup is used as a sweetener on many foods. The concentration of sugar is considerably lower than in the sugar maples (A. saccharum). The tree trunk is tapped in the early spring, the sap flowing better on warm sunny days following a frost. The best sap production comes from cold-winter areas with continental climates.
Sap: usually of trees and usually but not always used as a drink.
Sweetener: includes sugar substitutes.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 1
The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them.
Preservative: For food, or for treating wood, ropes etc.
How it is grown
Of easy cultivation, it prefers a good moist well-drained soil, preferring a sunny position but tolerating some shade. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Chlorosis can sometimes develop as a result of iron deficiency when the plants are grown in alkaline soils, but in general maples are not fussy as to soil pH. Most maples are bad companion plants, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants. This species is dioecious, at least one male plant needs to be grown with up to 5 females if seed is required. Special Features:Not North American native, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the following spring. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and then stratify for 2 - 4 months at 1 - 8°c. It can be slow to germinate. The seed can be harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it has dried and produced any germination inhibitors) and sown immediately. It should germinate in late winter. If the seed is harvested too soon it will produce very weak plants or no plants at all. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until they are 20cm or more tall before planting them out in their permanent positions. Layering, which takes about 12 months, is successful with most species in this genus. Cuttings of young shoots in June or July. The cuttings should have 2 - 3 pairs of leaves, plus one pair of buds at the base. Remove a very thin slice of bark at the base of the cutting, rooting is improved if a rooting hormone is used. The rooted cuttings must show new growth during the summer before being potted up otherwise they are unlikely to survive the winter. Grafting is impossible for this species because no compatible rootstock has been discovered.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Secondary; Dappled Shade;
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 4-7
Growth: Slow
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist