Walking out of the John Hope Gateway into the Biodiversity garden this wide spreading specimen of Acer caudatum ssp. ukurunduense is now mature enough to flower profusely. Collected twelve years ago in Japan as seed, the parent plant was growing in open deciduous woodland in a sunny aspect on a dry, stony slope at 1155m. On a breezy day the contrast between the dull dark green colour of the upper leaf surface contrasts with the light green almost grey undersurface as the boughs are buffeted about.
Acer caudatum ssp. ukurunduense
Acer caudatum ssp. ukurunduense