Acer circinatum Pursh
Oregon vine maple, Vine maple
Aceraceae (Maple Family)
Shrub or small tree with short trunk or several branches turning and twisting from base; often vinelike and leaning or sprawling. Vine maple or Oregon vine maple is often vine-like and reclining, commonly grown as a multi-stemmed tree, 10-20 ft. tall. The trunks have bright, reddish-green bark, topped with foliage displayed in an elegant, tiered pattern. The deciduous leaves are almost round in general outline with 7-9 palmate lobes. Fall foliage is ranges from yellow-orange to red. This handsome ornamental is dramatically colored in most seasons with bright green foliage turning orange and red in autumn, purple and white flowers in spring, and young red fruit in summer. The scientific name, meaning rounded or circular, refers to the leaf shape.
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Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial Habit: Shrub ,
Tree Leaf Retention: Deciduous Leaf Arrangement: Opposite Leaf Complexity: Simple Leaf Shape: Cordate Leaf Venation: Palmate Leaf Pubescence: Glabrous Leaf Margin: Lobed
Breeding System: Flowers
Unisexual ,
Monoecious Inflorescence: Corymb Size Notes: Height 25-30 feet, can reach 40 ft or larger, spread 25-35 feet. Multiple stems.
Leaf: Reddish when immature, dull green on top, pale green below when mature, red and orange in the Fall.
Autumn Foliage: yes
Flower:
Fruit: Bright red when mature. 1-2 inches long.
Size Class: 12-36 ft.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: White , Red , Green , Purple
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May
Bloom Notes: Reddish or purple
sepals and greenish-white petals. Monoecious; flowers are small and borne in short terminal clusters.
Distribution
USA: AK , CA , OR , WA
Canada: BC Native Distribution: B.C. to coastal n. CA; more common w. of Cascades
Native Habitat: Moist woods; stream banks
USDA Native Status: L48(N), AK (N?),
CAN(N) Growing Conditions
Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
CaCO3 Tolerance: None
Cold Tolerant: yes
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Moist soils.
Conditions Comments: This plant will tolerate drier situations. It often propagates vegetatively by layering and sometimes forms dense thickets.
Benefit
Use Wildlife: The seeds of this and other maples are consumed by songbirds, game birds, and large and small mammals.
Use Other: Coast Salish people have used the
vine maple for frames for fishing nets, and the lower Thompson peopled have used it for making snowshoes and cradle frames. Coastal Aboriginal peoples have boiled the
bark of the roots to make a tea for colds.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Interesting Foliage: yes
Attracts: Butterflies
Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)
Acer circinatum is a larval host and/or nectar source for:
Last Update: 2007-01-01
