e-flora of Sabah and Sarawak Acer

1. Acer L. 


Deciduous trees or shrubs with smooth bark. Leaves pinnately veined, more or less distinctly 3-veined at the base, long-stalked. Flowers unisexual, male and female on the same or different trees, organised in terminal or axillary racemes, corymbs, or panicles; sepals and petals imbricate in buds. Other floral, fruit and seed characters as in the family.

Distribution. As for the family.

Ecology. The samaras are wind-dispersed.

Uses. Many temperate species yield valuable timbers and a few others produce sugar/maple syrup obtained by boring holes through the bark in February and March each year. A number of shrubby species make excellent ornamental plants because of their strikingly coloured (yellow, red and purple) aging foliage. The timber of the Malesian species is only occasionally used for light construction.

Taxonomy. In a number of earlier publications (e.g., Blume, Rumphia 3 (1847) 193; Miquel, Fl. Ind. Bat. 1, 2 (1859) 581; Bentham & Hooker f., Gen. Pl. 1 (1867) 409; Hooker f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 1 (1875) 692) the genus was included in the Sapindaceae.


Lower Taxa

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