Acer sempervirens aka Cretan Maple

Acer sempervirens, also known as the Cretan maple or Asfendamos, is a species of maple native to southern Greece and southern Turkey. It is a slow-growing, evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub or small tree, reaching heights of up to 10 meters with a trunk diameter of up to 50 centimeters. The bark starts off smooth and dark grey in young trees but becomes scaly and shallowly fissured as the tree matures. The leaves are opposite, hard, and leathery, measuring 1-4 centimeters in length and 1-3 centimeters in width. They are glossy dark green on the upper surface with a yellow petiole, and can either be unlobed or three-lobed. The lobes have a toothless margin. The tree produces yellow-green flowers in small pendulous corymbs, and its fruit is a double samara with two rounded, winged seeds. The wings of the samara are 1.5-3 centimeters long and spread at an acute angle. Acer sempervirens is known for its drought and heat tolerance and is often found on dry, sunny hillsides at moderate elevations. It is closely related to Acer monspessulanum but differs in its smaller, evergreen leaves and smaller size, often growing as a shrubby tree. The Cretan maple is found primarily in Greece, particularly in the region surrounding the Aegean Sea, and also occurs in southern Turkey. In Greece, it is mainly distributed in the southern and central regions of the Peloponnesian Peninsula, with its range extending to the islands of the Aegean Sea, including Crete. It can also be occasionally found in the mountains along the Aegean coast of Asia Minor. In Crete, the maple is typically found in mountain forests on chalk cliffs at altitudes ranging from 800 to 1500 meters above sea level. In more humid or shaded areas such as gorges, along streams, or on northern slopes, the species grows at lower elevations. However, it never exceeds 900 meters above sea level in the northern part of its range.