Trees · Sapindaceae
Montpellier maple
Acer monspessulanum
Spanish Arce de MontpellierCatalan Auró negreNative4–10 mDeciduous
Small leaves with three rounded lobes, growing in opposite pairs.
- LeafBroad and flat
- LeafYes, a single blade
- ShapeLike a hand
- EdgeWavy or lobed
- EdgeSmooth
- On the twigIn pairs, facing each other
- In winterNo, it loses them
- BarkSmooth
- BarkFurrowed
- FruitWinged
The leaf
The leaf is small, three to six centimetres, thick, with three rounded, smooth-edged lobes. It is dark, glossy green on top and paler underneath. The leaves grow in opposite pairs.
The bark
On young trees the trunk is smooth and grey. Over the years it darkens and cracks into small plates.
The fruit
The fruit is a double samara: two seeds joined together, each with a wing. The wings are almost parallel or set at a very narrow angle, and in summer they are often tinged red.
The flower
It flowers in spring, as the leaves come out. The flowers are yellowish-green and hang in small clusters.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Habit
A small tree or tall shrub with a rounded, dense crown. It grows slowly and rarely reaches more than ten metres.
Where it grows
It grows scattered through holm oak and oak woods and at the foot of cliffs, in the limestone hills of inland and pre-coastal Catalonia. It copes well with drought.
What it can be mistaken for
The field maple has a larger leaf with five lobes, a stalk that oozes milky sap and fruit wings in a straight line. The three-lobed leaves of some hawthorns look similar, but they are toothed and alternate.
A story
Its scientific name, monspessulanum, means 'from Montpellier', the city in the south of France where it is common in the surrounding countryside. In autumn its leaves turn yellow and reddish.
Find out more
- Tree: Jebulon, CC0
- Leaf: Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bark: Gmihail, CC BY-SA 3.0 rs
- Fruit: Fernando Losada Rodríguez, CC BY-SA 4.0