Paperbark maple under threat
14 December 2009
A much-loved maple tree grown in dozens of British gardens is facing possible extinction in the wild, according to a survey of Acer populations across the world.
Acer griseum, widely grown for its peeling cinnamon-coloured bark and spectacular autumn colour, is included in a Red List of more than 80 maples under threat in the wild, drawn up by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) working with Fauna and Flora International. The survey found that populations of A. griseum in its native central China have become fragmented with numbers declining as their habitat is lost to agriculture and expanding development.
“The good news is that while many species are threatened in the wild, some of these species are common in cultivation,” said Sara Oldfield, Secretary General of the BGCI.
In all, about a third of all known maples were found to be endangered, with seven reduced to just a handful of specimens. For example, fewer than 200 Acer pentaphyllum cling on in a series of high-altitude valleys in south-west Sichuan, China, and half of those are directly threatened by plans to construct a dam. Another extremely rare tree, Acer yangbiense, was only described for the first time in 2003, when just 10 trees were left. This dropped to four remaining trees by 2007, and intensive conservation efforts are now underway.
BGCI is now establishing which of the endangered maples are already in botanic gardens or National Collections such as that at Westonbirt in Gloucestershire, so that efforts can be made to increase wild populations and help them survive.
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