 Acer griseum |
Origin: China Zone Range: 5-9 Preferred Situation: Full/semi sun; well draining evenly moist soil. Harvest Date: Saturday 17 November, 2007
Description: Beautiful paper thin peeling cinnamon coloured layered bark. If this wasn't distinctive enough, the green trifoliate leaves are often coarsely serrated or lobed. Autumn colour consists of brilliant oranges and reds. A very distinctive and unusual maple. Relatively slow grower that will eventually reach 14 meters tall with about equal spread in 50 years.
Notes: Germination cut test: 70%. Seed shipped to the US must be clean so will be air dried a few days before shipping. Please soak seed for 24-48 hours in tepid water before warm stratification (see germination/cultivation notes below).
Cultivation: Fresh seed. Well be kept moist cold stored as when allowed to dry the hard seed coat inhibits germination so one must pretreat seed using hot tap water. Keeping seed moist cold stored since collection shouldn't need this hot water pretreatment. Regardless, soak seed in tepid water for 24 hours. Place seed in baggie with moistened medium (peat and sand) and warm stratify 120 days. Check the seed coat as the outer layer should be easy to remove. Sow 7 mm deep in moist peat/sand mix and cold stratify (or place baggie in fridge) for 120 days. Will germinate under Spring like conditions. If the seed coat is too hard, it may take 2 years for the seed coat (or skin) to soften enough for the embryo to escape. If you allow the stratified seed to dry out, it will kill the embryo.
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