Featured Plant

Acer morrisonense

A prettier maple would be hard to find! This dainty, rare variety grows in the mountains of Taiwan. It is one of 14 species of "snake bark maples" that are found from the Himalayas to Japan. The bark with its pattern of green and white stripes is highly decorative and notably visible, in winter, when the leaves have fallen.

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The petioles holding the leaves of snake bark maple are scarlet and the red flush extends down each twig. The delicate leaves have 3 points of apices, as in most maples, and turn yellow in autumn. The twin seed pods with wings or "samaras" dangle in long graceful clusters around August each year. A. morrisonense is a small tree, reaching 18 to 30 feet. It needs cool, wet winters and grows best in the shade of bigger trees.