Acer oblongum var. oblongum

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

Acer oblongum var. oblongum is the nominate variety of Acer oblongum, a maple in the family Sapindaceae. Kew accepts this variety and records a native range from northeastern Pakistan through parts of the Himalayas to central and southern China and mainland Southeast Asia. The botanical name Acer discolor Maxim. is included in its synonymy.

Leaves and fruits

The Flora of China describes hairless young branches that change from purplish green to brown. The leaves are elongated, from elliptical to lance-shaped, about eight to twelve centimetres long and three to five centimetres wide, with stalks roughly 2.5–5 centimetres long.

The winged fruits are arranged in broad clusters. Each fruit has a curved wing, with the wing and seed-bearing portion together measuring about two to 2.5 centimetres long. These measurements belong to the flora's treatment of the nominate variety.

Name and identification

The Flora of China lists Acer discolor alongside other synonyms including Acer eucalyptoides and Acer guanense. The name A. discolor has also been applied to cultivated trees whose identity is uncertain.

A 2019 account from Iturraran Botanical Garden distinguishes those cultivated trees from A. oblongum. It traces its material to seed from the Coursiana collection in France and describes affinities with Acer paxii, while noting differences such as deciduous foliage and longer leaf stalks. The garden provisionally labels that material Acer aff. paxii, indicating resemblance rather than a confirmed identification.

Consequently, a garden label reading Acer discolor does not by itself establish that the tree belongs to this variety.