Acer rubescens

Acer rubescens is in the soapberry or Sapindaceae family and is native to Taiwan. It is a medium-sized tree, reaching up to 20 m in height.

It is in the snakebark group of maples identified by: Snakeskin-like bark; buds on stocks, 1 pair of scales; flowers (and double samaras) on pendulous racemes.

• Bark is smooth, green with irregular white longitudinal stripes; branchlets are somewhat glossy, with whitish stripes.
• Leaves are deciduous, simple, opposite, 8–10 cm long and 6–8 cm across, palmately 5-lobed (rarely 7), divided to 1/5th of the length, upper surface is shiny bronze-green to dark green with caducous rusty hairs on the midrib, lower surface lighter green, dull with persistent rusty hairs, margins are coarsely serrate, apex acute to acuminate; petiole is 4–8 cm long, red and glabrous; autumn colour bronze is to red-orange and finally yellow.
• Plant is dioecious; inflorescences are terminal and lateral, with 10–30 flowers mounted along a longer stem, cluster 3–4 cm diameter; flowers are 5-merous.
• Winged samaras are double, 1.8–2.3 cm long, yellowish brown, wings distinctly veined and spreading obtusely to sometimes almost horizontally, ripening in late fall in a string of connected seeds.