Acer acuminatilobum

Tilcayo Cats original · Plants · Sources and editorial assessment · Originals retention rule

Acer acuminatilobum, known in Hungary as the Mátra ancient maple (mátrai ősjuhar), is a name applied to unusual maples first studied near Parádsasvár in the Mátra region. Its status as a separate species has been disputed. Kew currently treats the name as a synonym of the field maple, Acer campestre subsp. campestre. This account concerns the named Hungarian trees and their botanical history, rather than recognising an additional species.

Characteristics

Bartha and Kerényi-Nagy's 2012 account describes thick leaves with elongated lobes directed towards the leaf tip. Much of the lower half of each leaf is undivided, and hairs occur on the underside, especially along the veins. The leaves turn yellow in autumn. The flowers are borne in small, hairy clusters; the paired fruits have wings spreading in a straight line.

The original tree had bark peeling in long strips. However, Molnár's later observations found that this feature did not consistently distinguish all the trees assigned to the name from neighbouring field maples.

History and records

József Papp found the Parádsasvár tree in 1952, described it as a variety of field maple in 1954 and raised it to species rank in 1958. The resemblance of its leaves to fossil maple leaves contributed to its Hungarian common name. This resemblance is not, on its own, evidence that the living trees constitute an unchanged prehistoric species.

Molnár reported finding another tree near Aldebrő in 2004. His 2016 account records the death of the original Parádsasvár tree in 2014, while vegetatively propagated specimens survived in botanical collections. It also discusses additional Hungarian records and the possibility that some occurrences reflect historical planting rather than undisturbed wild populations.