Acer tenellum Pax

Trees usually ca. 7 m tall, andromonoecious. Bark gray or dark gray, smooth. Branchlets slender; lenticels rounded or ovate, small; winter buds small, scales ca. 4 pairs. Leaves deciduous; petiole 3-6 cm, slender, glabrous; leaf blade abaxially pale green, adaxially dark green, suborbicular or ovate, 4-6 × 3-6 cm, membranous, abaxially glabrous except slightly pubescent at vein axils, adaxially glabrous, veins raised abaxially, base subcordate or cordate, usually 3-lobed, rarely undivided; middle lobe obtuse, margin entire or slightly sinuate, apex acute or rarely acuminate; lateral lobes obtuse or triangular-ovate, margin entire, apex acute or obtuse. Inflorescence terminal, corymbose, glabrous. Pedicel ca. 2 cm. Sepals 5, oblong, 2-3 mm, both surfaces glabrous, margin slightly ciliate. Petals 5, yellowish green, oblong-obovate, 2-3 mm, glabrous. Stamens 8, in staminate flowers ca. as long as or slightly shorter than petals; filaments glabrous; anthers yellow. Disk amphistaminal, lobed, glabrous. Ovary glabrous, compressed; style glabrous, very short, connate at base; stigmas recurved. Fruit purple when young, glabrous; wing including nutlet 2-3 cm; nutlets compressed, with wings spreading nearly horizontally. Fl. May, fr. Sep.

W Hubei, E and SE Sichuan.

● Mixed forests, valleys; 1200-1900 m.

Acer tenellum is an uncommon Asian species of maple. It is native to China (Hubei and Sichuan).

Acer tenellum is a small deciduous tree up to 7 meters tall with smooth gray bark. Leaves are non-compound, up to 6 cm wide and 6 cm across, thin, usually with 3 lobes but sometimes none.