I know some of you are collecting maples so I thought you might be interested to know about these trees as well, as they are maple’s closest relatives.

Dipteronia is a genus with only two species: Dipteronia sinensis and Dipteronia dyeriana

These small trees or large shrubs are found in China, where they are listed as rare by the China Plant Red Data Book. The leaves are quite unlike those of maple, being large, feathery, and compound- up to 20 inches long for the entire leaf. The foliage emerges with colored tints similar to some maples. The seeds are decorative on the plant and mature to red. The seeds are different form maples in that the winged membrane encircles the seed.

Both species are interesting ornamental specimens and are not often cultivated. It’s a shame because they really are lovely species and deserve to be more popular. These species future would also be more secure if they were cultivated, because both are threatened by deforestation and are regenerating poorly. Indeed, Dipteronia dyeriana is already endangered.
I hope more people will cultivate these little-known plants.

Quarryhill Botanical Garden is a non-profit
botanical garden dedicated to advancing the conservation, study, and cultivation of
the temperate Flora of Asia. It is a very interesting place to visit. Their collection is at the most only 15 years old, so plants are very young. It will be a spectacular place to visit in 15 years!

Their website hosts a very useful Database of Asian Plants in Cultivation. It allows you to find Arboretums throughout the US that have a particular plant.

http://www.calacademy.org/research/...yhill/index.asp