Records from the Bonsai Bench: Botanical Name - Acer burgerianum Common Name - Trident Maple

摘要

Native to Japan and China. Botanical Information: Deciduous tree to around 30 feet but can be larger in its native habitat. Leaves are three-lobed, approximately three to five inches across. Fall color ranges from the yellow to red tones and everything in between. The first cultivated trees observed by Western botanists were described by Miquel, a Dutch botanist, from trees observed in Owari, Japan in 1867. Trident maple has probably been used as bonsai in Japan and China long before it was ever described by Western botanists and subsequently introduced into Europe in the mid to late 1800's. The species is one of the most commonly used maples in bonsai and can be adapted to many styles. While most often seen as an individual specimen in the informal upright and root-over-rock styles, it can also used in group, forest and clump plantings.