This tree doesn’t look like a maple at first glance: the leaves are composed of three small leaflets, like clover. One of the first trees to take on autumn colour at the Arboretum, at its best it can be wine-red, even violet. The crown is characteristically composed of outward curving branches, giving an open vase shape. There are old specimens at the west end of Etelärinne (Southern Slope) with younger ones on Pähkinärinne (Hazelnut Slope) near the café.
Manchurian maple is native to the mountainous areas of eastern Asia, and it is also grown in China for landscaping. In the West it is mainly found as a rarity in botanic garden collections, although it is attractive and seems very winter hardy. Obstacles to more general use include lack of information and difficulties with propagation. Like other three-leaved maples, the seeds of Manchurian maple have a thick, hard protective covering and germination can take several years.
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