PAPERBARK MAPLE (Acer griseum (Franch.) Pax, Sapindaceae) IN SAINT PETERSBURG

Paperbark maple ( Acer griseum (Franch.) Pax, Sapindaceae), a plant of central China, is known in the documents of the Peter the Great Botanical Garden of the Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in St. Petersburg, since 1949, in the modern collection of the Arboretum there are individuals that have been growing since 1999. At the age of 26, the tree reaches 4.85 m in height, with a trunk diameter of 8 cm, forming a crown of 2.9 × 3.8 m. The first flowering was noted in 2015. The first fruiting was noted in 2019, when the plants were already 21 years old. In the conditions of the modern climate of the North-West of Russia, the species is quite winter-hardy. An original ornamental tree, attracts attention primarily with its bright color of the bark throughout the year, as well as the autumn color of the leaves. This species is resistant to diseases and pests. In nature, the species is rare and has an important conservation value. And it is important to preserve it both in situ and ex situ . It is suitable for city parks, squares and small gardens, as well as for rockeries and rock gardens. In terms of decoration, it stands out throughout the calendar year due to its bright special bark, which no other maple has, and is also noticeably attractive in the bright orange-yellow autumn color of the leaves. However, until now, breeding has been limited by the lack of a local seed base and the unstudied quality of the seeds. Thanks to the X-ray analysis of seeds of different years of ripening, it was shown that all the first seeds (harvest 2020) were empty. The seeds of the 2024 harvest are already almost 50 % complete, there is a high hope of getting the first offspring of its own reproduction.