Minor maple, a tree that is very easy to grow

Acer monspessulanum leaves

El minor maple it is one of the few maples that grow naturally in the Iberian Peninsula and in the north of the Balearic Islands. Unlike the vast majority of species in the genus, it is not very demanding on the soil, and it resists high temperatures quite well.

For all these reasons, we consider it a very interesting plant to grow in all kinds of gardens, whether large or small as it does not exceed 7 meters in height.

Minor Maple Characteristics

Adult specimen of Acer monspessulanum

Our protagonist, whose scientific name is Acer monspessulanum and is known by the common names Maple minor or Maple de Montpellier, it is a tree native to southern Europe and southern Asia that grows to a height of 4 to 7 meters. It lives in dry and rocky areas, between 300 and 1200 meters of altitude, and its growth rate is slow.

The leaves are deciduous, simple, green in spring and summer and reddish-yellow in autumn.. The flowers, which sprout in spring, are hermaphroditic, and are grouped in subcorymbose inflorescences. The fruit is a dysmara with the two subparallel wings.

How do you take care of yourself?

Specimen of Acer monspessulanum subsp. turcoma

If you would like to have it in your garden, follow our advice 🙂:

  • Location: outside, in semi-shade.
  • Land: grows in limestone, but can also do so in siliceous. It is important that it has good drainage.
  • Irrigation: every 3 days in summer, and every 5-6 days the rest of the year. We must avoid waterlogging.
  • Subscriber: During spring and summer it should be fertilized with organic fertilizers, such as manure or worm castings, adding a layer 2-5cm thick once every 1-2 months.
  • Planting time: in spring, when the risk of frost has passed.
  • Multiplication: by seeds which have to be stratify in the fridge for three months in winter and then sow them in seedbed, or by layering in spring.
  • Rusticity: it supports well the cold and frosts down to -10ºC, but temperatures above 35ºC can affect it if it lacks water and / or fertilizer.

Enjoy your tree 🙂.


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