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    • ERICA, ERICA'S TREE (and a short history of Guiding) - June 14, 2018
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  • Acer circinatum

Acer circinatum

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Common name: Vine maple


Acer circinatum, a species closely related to Acer palmatum, is the smallest of the maples native to western North America. It can often be found growing along stream beds and in moist woods from southwestern British Columbia to northern California, usually within three hundred kilometres of the Pacific Ocean. Landscapers think that it is one of the most popular native shrubs for landscapes.  


A. circinatum can often be found as an understory shrub, growing under trees such as douglas-fir, western hemlock, western red cedar, and Sitka spruce. In sunny locations A. circinatum will grow upright, but when in shade it will take on a horizontal habit. The tree can grow almost horizontally touching the ground and rooting to make new colonies. David Douglas wrote that the voyageurs called it 'bois de diable' or 'tree of the devil' because of the stems rooting and creating impenetrable thickets.


A. circinatum leaves are almost circular in shape, and have seven to nine toothed lobes. They are yellowish-green above, and pale green and downy on the underside. Full sun will bring on brilliant fall colour in shades of orange and red, while dappled light will produce leaves of golden yellow. The fruit, a winged samara, is wide-spreading, almost in a straight line.


Vine maple was collected by the Lewis and Clark expedition and introduced to Europe in 1826 by David Douglas. The species name circinatum means 'rounded, referring to the shape of the leaves.


A. circinatum is an important tree for wildlife. It provides food and shelter for birds and mammals.


Due to the flexibility of the wood, First Nations people used A. circinatum to make snowshoe frames, drum hoops, and small tools. The thin branches were used to weave baskets and make fish traps. As well, it was often used for firewood.


Acer circinatum can be found in various locations throughout the garden. The Garden photos were taken in Bed 118 and 135C of the Canadian Heritage Garden, and in Bed 23B of the Cascadia Garden the winter of 2023.  


Text by Kumi Sutcliffe

Fall colour photo by John Rusk, via Wikimedia Commons

Flower photo by Walter Siegmund, via Wikimedia Commons

Shrub photo El Grafo, via Wikimedia Commons

Other photos in the Garden by Kumi Sutcliffe

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  • Home
  • Updates
    • What's New
    • Curator Updates
    • Garden Stories >
      • Garden Story Index
    • Self-Guided Tours
    • Walks & Talks >
      • Walks and Talks 2023
      • Walks and Talks 2022
      • Walks -Talks 2021 & Zoom Tips
    • PDFs of Updates, Tours, & Talks >
      • Self-guided Tours (PDF)
      • Gardener Walks (PDF)
  • Plant IDs
    • ID By Flower Color >
      • Red Flowers
      • Pink Flowers
      • Orange Flowers
      • Yellow Flowers
      • Green Flowers
      • Blue Flowers
      • Purple Flowers
      • White Flowers
    • ID By Type >
      • Annuals
      • Berries-Fruits-Nuts
      • Bulbs, Corms, Rhizomes, Tubers >
        • Bulbs
        • Corms
        • Rhizomes
        • Tubers
      • Ferns
      • Grasses
      • Medicinal Plants
      • Native Plants
      • Perennials >
        • Peonies
        • Salvias
      • Rhododendrons >
        • Rhodendron Erica Notes
      • Shrubs >
        • Calycanthus
        • Hydrangeas >
          • Hydrangea Background
        • Peonies >
          • Peonies-Overview
        • Rhododendrons
        • Roses >
          • Rose Background
      • Trees >
        • Conifers >
          • Cypress
          • Firs
          • Pines
        • Deciduous Trees >
          • Dogwoods
          • Ginkgos
          • Magnolias
          • Witch Hazels
        • Native Trees
        • Tree of the Month
  • In the Garden
    • Map and Collection Lists
    • Art in the Garden >
      • Symposium & Exhibitions
    • Building and Grounds >
      • Bridges
      • Formal Rose Garden Hardscape and Art
      • Grotto Area & Black Garden
      • Korean Pavilion
      • Maze
    • Gardener Assignments
    • Collections >
      • Ash Collection
      • Camellia Collection
      • Rhododendron Walk
    • Gardens >
      • Gardens A-D >
        • Alma VanDusen Garden
        • Backyard Bird Garden
        • Bentall Garden
        • Black Garden
        • Canadian Heritage Garden >
          • Bees
          • Canadian Heritage Orchard
        • Cascadia Garden
        • Cherry Grove
        • Chilean Garden
      • Gardens E-H >
        • Eastern North America Garden
        • Fern Dell
        • Formal Rose Garden
        • Fragrance Garden
        • Heather Garden
        • Herb Garden
        • Heritage Rose Garden
      • Gardens I-P >
        • Laburnum Walk
        • Livingstone Lake
        • Meconopsis Dell
        • Meditation Garden
        • Mediterranean Garden
        • Ornamental Grasses
        • Perennial Garden
      • Gardens R-Z >
        • Rhododendron Walk
        • Sino-Himayalan Region
        • South African Garden
        • Southern Hemisphere
        • Stone Garden
        • Vegetable Garden
        • Woodland Garden
    • Garden History >
      • History photos
  • Science
    • Animals & Insects >
      • Birds
      • Butterflies and Moths
      • Insect Friends
      • Small Creatures
    • Buds
    • Colour and Vision
    • Dynamic Symmetry - Fibonacci Spirals
    • Flowers
    • Fruit
    • Germination
    • Habitats and Environments
    • Hormones
    • Leaves
    • Life on Earth
    • Light, Energy, and Rainbows
    • Plant Calendars
    • Pollination
    • Pollen
    • Roots
    • Scents
    • Seeds
    • Soil
    • Stems
    • Vascular Plants
    • Web of Interdependence
    • Weeds
  • Bloedel
  • Search
  • About
    • ERICA, ERICA'S TREE (and a short history of Guiding) - June 14, 2018
  • Contact