Acer pictum

This subspecies of the mono maple is said to grow only in Japan, and even there only in a small area. However, it came to Mustila from Sakhalin Island, where it also grows. It can be distinguished from mono maple by its rounded but almost always 5-lobed leaves, whereas the mono has 7 lobes. It is also easily confused with another close relative, the Cappadocian maple (A. cappadocicum), native to the mountainous parts of Caucasia.

In the wild, A. pictum subsp. mayrii grows about 10-15m high in snowy mountain areas. Planted, it is a beautiful round-headed tree, flowering in spring on bare branches before leaf-break. The inflorescence resembles that of the Norway maple (A. platanoides), both in size and in its yellow-green colour.

So far there has been little experience with growing this maple in Finland but hardy provenances are worth noting when the need is for the typically luxuriant and beautiful foliage of the Norway maple, but on a smaller tree. The leaves open bronze-red in spring, emphasising by their contrast the bright green of the flowers.

Painted maple is native to China, the Russian Far East, Korea and Japan. Due to this large range the different provenances display slight differences both in appearance and in climatic adaptability. The leaves resemble those of the native maple (A. platanoides) but are smaller and the lobes are of approximately equal length. The whole tree is like a smaller version of the Finnish species and would be extremely useful for gardens, especially if a suitable provenance could be found.

Although painted maple grows to over 20 metres in the wild, it seldom reaches more than 10m when planted. Mustila’s biggest specimen can be admired at the western end of Etelärinne (Southern Slope). What makes this species particularly valuable is the autumn colour, which varies depending on origin and the autumn weather. At its best, the crown is a blaze of fiery red, though quite often it is a less brilliant yellow