Acer opalus Mill. subsp. granatense (Boiss.) Font Quer & Rothm.

Spice Fruit In the field

Family: ACERACEAE

Genus: Acer

Sinònims: Acer granatense Boiss.

Catalan common name: Rotaboc.

Spanish common name: Ácer. Acirón. Arce de España.

Province distribution: Alacant. Balearic Islands. Castelló. Girona. Lleida. Tarragona. València.

Distribution in the islands: Mallorca.

General distribution (Phytogeography): Mediterranean

Plants protected by law: Balearic Catalogue.

IUCN Category: LCLeast concern

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Macrophanerophyte.

Habitats: Mountainous oakforest. Rock crevices and cliff faces. Quercus faginea oak wood. Rock creviceses and rock walls.

Characteristics: This is a deciduous tree which lives in the shady areas of the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range, generally rooted in the cracks in crevices in cliff faces. It is a relic of the vegetation belonging to a more humid climate than the actual one. The fruits are very characteristic, they are found in pairs and each has a large membranous wing (samara); Fraxinus angustifolia, which is also a deciduous tree, has a winged fruit, but in this case it is solitary rather than paired.