'Yusen' Manchurian Snakebark Maple Seed

Latin Name: Acer tegmentosum

DESCRIPTION

Family: Aceraceae

Native Range: Northeast China

Seed Source: Selected trees from a seed collection expedition to Northeast China

Height and Spread: 10m x 5m (25 years)

Overview: The 'Yusen' seed strain was collected during a seed expedition to the Maoershan region of Heilongjiang Province of China in 1991. The selected trees were growing in a mountainous region near the North Korean border with China. This is a hardy seed strain, typically multi-stemmed, and reaches a mature height of 8-10 meters. The distinctive characteristic which sets them apart from other maples is their smooth, bright-green bark with blue-green to white stripes of varying widths forming a pattern reminiscent of a snake’s skin. The strain is named after the Chinese professor,  Zhang Yusen, who guided the 1991 seed collection expedition to Northeast China.

Fruits: A samara consisting of two oval carpels lined at the base and each terminating in a broad membranous wing.

Average number of seeds/packet: 100

SEED TREATMENT / SOWING

Stratification: Stratify in moist sand at 5°C for 120 days

Ideal sowing time: Spring (stratified seed) or fall (non-stratified)

Sowing instructions: Sow 2 cm deep, 50 seeds/meter; Greenhouse - sow 3 seeds per cell.

Growing conditions: Best growth on medium-textured soils with soil pH 7.0 to 8.0. Fertilization is not required.

AGROFORESTRY VALUE

'Yusen' Manchurian snakebark maple is best used in landscape settings, it is not well-suited for shelterbelts or exposed sites.