Acer cappadocicum - Caucasian Maple

Caucasian Maple is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 20-30 m tall with a broad, rounded crown. Oppositely arranged leaves are palmately lobed with 5-7 equal lobes, 6-15 cm across. The leaf stems bleed a milky latex when broken. The flowers are borne in corymbs of 15-30. Flowers are tiny, 3-4 mm across, yellow-green with five petals. Fruit is a double samara with two winged seeds, the seeds are disc-shaped, strongly flattened, 6-11 mm across and 2-3 mm thick. The samara is reddish pink when young. The wings are 2.5-3 cm long, widely spread, approaching a 180° angle. The bark is greenish-grey, smooth in young trees, becoming shallowly grooved in mature. Caucasian Maple is found from central Turkey (ancient Cappadocia) east along the Caucasus, the Himalaya, to southwestern China. Flowering: March-May.