Acer sikkimense

Sikkim maple is in the soapberry or Sapindaceae family and is native to the Himalayas and nearby mountains in Sikkim (India), Bhutan, Nepal, northern India, Myanmar, Tibet, and Yunnan. It grows up to 20 m tall.

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 grayish black, slightly white-striped, branches are red or brown, glabrous.
• Leaves are deciduous to semi-evergreen, papery to leathery, shiny, 10–14 cm long and 5–8 cm broad, unlobed (rarely 3-lobed), petiole 2–4 cm long; they are dark green above, paler below with barbed hairs in the vein axils; margins are serrated, tips caudate (having a tail); fall colour is rather limited.
• Flowers are small, staminate (male) or hermaphrodite (both sexes on the flower), 5-merous, yellow, on pendulous racemes.
• Double samaras are 2–2.5 cm long, brown, wings spread obtusely, rarely horizontally, hanging in pendulous racemes.