Latin Lingo - Acer

Ever look at a plant tag and wonder what that italicized name means? And more importantly, how on earth am I supposed to pronounce it?

Those sometimes bizarre Latin words (atriplicifolia or tricuspidata, for example) actually describe an attribute of the plant. This new feature, Latin Lingo, will highlight some of these words in hope of shedding some light on the dead language used to name our plants. My first edition will be on the most easily recognized tree - the Maple.

"Acer

(AY-ser)

Acer is the Latin name for maple trees. The name means "sharp" or "pointed." This may be referring to the hardness of the wood, which Roman soldiers used to make spear and pike shafts. Or it may be a reference to the pointed leaves.

Known and used since ancient times, Maple trees have continued to play an important role in both the Old and New Worlds. In 1540, Jacques Cartier observed maple trees as he explored the St. Lawrence River. When the pilgrims arrived in North America, the American Indians had developed a process to extract sugar from the maples growing in the area.

By the 1700s, Quakers were manufacturing maple sugar from Acer saccharum, the sugar maple, as an alternative to cane sugar from the West Indies. Today, maple trees are grown both for their beauty and economic importance.

Visit Botanary for more botanical words, their meanings, and pronunciation help."

quoted from Dave's Garden E-Newsletter, December 5, 2011

~~~~~~~

Below are some photos from a Google Image search showcasing the leaves of the most common maples in our area. Some species are annoyingly similar to each other, while others are very distinctive.

Acer ginnala - Amur maple

Acer negundo - Box elder

Acer platanoides - Norway maple

Acer rubrum - Red maple 

Acer saccharinum - Silver maple

Acer saccharum - Sugar maple

~~~~~~~

Now for some of the more exotic maples that may or may not be hardy in Minnesota (Zone 4).

Acer palmatum - Japanese maple

Acer pseudosieboldianum - Korean maple

Acer triflorum - Three-Flowering maple