Acer platanoides
Taxon: family Sapindaceae ( Sapindaceae)
Other names: common maple, sycamore maple
English: Norway Maple
Botanical description of Norway maple
They are widespread in deciduous forests different kinds maples. Most often found here is the Norway maple, or common maple - a tree up to 30 m tall, with gray bark. Young shoots are reddish. The maple leaves are dark green, large, opposite, on long petioles, palmate and five-lobed. The lobes are three to five notched-toothed with pointed tips. The leaf blades are pierced by numerous veins of varying thickness. Maple flowers are collected in yellowish-green bunch-shaped inflorescences, the calyx and corolla are five-parted. The maple fruit is flat with two wings and breaks into two nuts. The maple tree blooms in the spring before the leaves bloom, in April-May, and bears fruit in September.
Places of growth
Norway maple grows in deciduous forests and less often in mixed forests, and is bred in gardens and parks for landscaping. Maple is widespread in the European part of Russia and the Caucasus.
Collection and preparation
IN medicinal purposes They use maple leaves, sap and shoots. The leaves are harvested in the first half of summer, dried in the sun and dried in the attic or in a dryer. Maple fruits are harvested when ripe. Dry in a dryer or oven at a temperature of 50-60 °C. Store in bags or closed wooden containers.
Chemical composition Norway maple
It has been established that the leaves contain carbohydrates, alkaloids, aldehydes (alpha-hexenoic, beta-hexanoic), organic acids (acetic, succinic, phthalic), polyisopropenes (squalene), rubber, carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, xanthophyll epoxide etc.), nitrogen-containing compounds (methylamine, etc.), vitamins C (up to 268 mg/%), phenol carbonic acids (salicylic, gallic), tannins, flavonoids, anthocyanins, higher fatty acids, lipids (phytinyl linolenate) and other substances . The seeds contain cyclotols, rubber and fatty oil.
Pharmacological properties of Norway maple
An infusion or decoction of the leaves has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, wound-healing, and analgesic effects. Antibacterial properties are manifested against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and viruses.
Use of maple in medicine
Preparations from maple are used for kidney stones, kidney diseases, bladder diseases, jaundice, as an antiemetic and tonic. And also for diseases of the upper respiratory tract, acute respiratory diseases, herpes, inflammation of the lungs and oral cavity. A decoction of the leaves is drunk after childbirth so that the baby's place comes out.
Medicines from maple
Infusion of maple leaves: pour 1 tbsp of boiling water over a glass. l. fresh or dry leaves, leave for 30 minutes in a warm place, take 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day.
Chopped fresh maple leaves applied to wounds and ulcers to heal them, having previously treated them with any antiseptic, steamed leaves are applied to boils. Fresh raw materials are bandaged every day. The course of treatment is 5-7 days.
Sweet maple sap Drink for scurvy as a tonic drink.
After oak, birch and pine, maple is the leader among other trees in terms of its bioenergy content, which can quickly restore human energy. The energy of the maple remains constant from spring to autumn. The best time to communicate with maple is early in the morning, after sunrise. Maples feel great among birches, aspens, and oaks.
Using maple on the farm
Norway maple is widely planted in gardens, parks and along city roads. Decorative throughout the growing season. Produces abundant growth from the stump. It withstands replanting and urban conditions well, and is wind-resistant. Within its range, it is one of the main breeds for gardening and park construction in Russia. Valued for big sizes, dense crown, slender trunk, ornamental foliage. Suitable for single and alley plantings, colorful groups. The autumn outfit is especially impressive against the background coniferous trees. In garden culture since ancient times.
Maple is a honey plant. It is of great importance for beekeeping as an early honey and pollen-bearing plant. Maple honey is a light variety with excellent taste qualities. From 1 hectare of flowering Norway maple, bees extract 200 kg of honey.
The wood is used for crafts and in furniture production.
The leaves were used as dyes for wool.
A little history
There are many trees on Earth whose trunks contain sweet juices, but there is especially a lot of it in the spring. sugar maple (Acer saccharum), growing in North America. This juice contains up to 20% sugar. Long before the discovery of America, the Indians were collecting sweet juice and making sugar from it. This tree has become a kind of emblem of the country - the maple leaf adorns the coat of arms and national flag of Canada.
Photos and illustrations
A long time ago I decorated my nondescript alley leading to the house by planting it with maple trees. And it turned out quite well for me. Since maple has beautiful decorative foliage, it perfect option for landscaping any areas: gardens, parks, homestead areas. Maple creates a colorful landscape and cleanses the air of harmful impurities.
Maple is a genus of tree with more than 150 species. Maple grows in the north of the European and Asian parts of the hemisphere. There are several dozen maple species in Russia.
Mostly these are undemanding, shade-tolerant, frost-resistant trees or shrubs that love waterlogged rich soils, but there are specimens that feel great on poor soils. These are deciduous plant species.
Maples can grow up to 40 m in height. Such dimensions depend on belonging to a particular species and natural conditions. You can also find plantings 10–15 m high.
The maple trunks are not thick, light brown, brownish or grayish in color with shallow cracks along the entire perimeter of the bark, the crown is quite dense and spherical in shape. The roots are powerful and penetrate the soil very deeply. Maples live for about 200 years, but when favorable conditions- more than 500 years.
Maples differ from other trees in having amazingly shaped leaves: large, palm-shaped, carved. The foliage palette ranges from green to red. The leaves of the Japanese maple, Norway maple, are burgundy, rich red or brown.
The tree blooms in spring, the inflorescences are pale yellow with green panicles, the fruits resemble a propeller with 2 blades with seeds that appear by September.
Maple species
Among the rich diversity of maples, widespread species can be distinguished.
Holly
This maple is the most popular; it includes several other varieties growing throughout the European part of Russia. Its second name: sycamore (sycamore-leaved) - comes from the shape its leaves resemble.
This tree can be given any shape, various heights, and control the parameters and density of the crown. The leaves are rich in an abundance of flowers.
Norway maple grows only on moist, fertile soils or not very acidic soils; it does not like sand and rocky soils.
Such trees grow up to 20–30 m. The size of their leaves is 15–18 cm. They grow on long thin reeds and have a five-lobed carved shape: the central lobes are longer, the side lobes are shorter.
With the onset of autumn, the lush green maple leaves turn sunny yellow, fiery orange, red or burgundy.
The planted trees are well received and at first grow very quickly, and they live up to 200 years.
Norway maples are not susceptible to the negative effects of polluted air, especially in large cities, so it is actively used for landscaping city streets.
American
This maple lives in the northeastern part of the United States, representing the official symbol of several states. Its height is 30-40 m. Its second name is Sugar Maple.
The sap of this maple is the basis for the production of syrup, and the tree itself is an excellent building material. The American maple is not afraid of harsh climates.
White
In another way it is called sycamore. It grows up to 30 m and has a tent-shaped dense crown. Dark green leaves with front side, on the other - lighter, with a bluish tint. Sycamore is not frost-resistant, so it will never take root in middle lane. It grows mainly in the Caucasus, the Carpathians and southern Europe.
Tatar
In another way - Chernoklen. More often it is a shrub up to 9 m in height. Its crown is quite spreading. The bark is black, the leaves are finger-shaped lobes, rich green, glossy.
The Tatarian maple attracts attention in the spring; its brushes throw out tender pink flowers, resembling bells. Black maple can be trimmed, as is done with ornamental plants. It is drought-resistant, therefore they grow in the steppes of Europe: in the Caucasus, in the Balkans.
Field
A very dense shrub 15–20 m high. The foliage is lush green, the bark is dark brown, the inflorescences are so small that they are not visible. Field maple adapts to any climate and tolerates wind, shade and short-term drought. It is common in deciduous forests, forest-steppe zones, and city parks.
Manchurian
This maple is an unusual tree, which is why I fell in love with it a large number gardeners. Its lacy crown with carved triple leaves turns orange and purple in the fall, and the leaf veins are bright red. This species grows well in open areas.
Greenbark
It can be a stately tree or a large shrub, the height of which is 15 m. The tree has a decorative trunk. The bark on it is glossy green, mottled with longitudinal stripes.
If the tree is young, the stripes are white, like marble, but in an old tree they are already gray. The ball-shaped crown has cherry-colored branches on which pink buds are located.
The leaves are wide, sometimes their length is 16 cm, so they are very thin; in summer they are dark Green colour, in autumn - yellow. In spring, yellow-green flowers bloom in clusters.
In autumn, after flowering, brown fruits appear. This maple easily recovers from cold winters and grows quickly.
Red
This maple is not afraid of excess moisture and stagnant water, because it comes from swamps North America. The maple is named red because its color autumn leaves has a red tint. Their outer part is orange or red, and the back is silvery-pinkish. Red maple can be columnar or spherical.
Prirechny
Plant up to 6 m tall. Therefore, it can be shaped into a bush by pruning. The leaves are three-fingered, oblong, the inflorescences are fragrant yellow panicles.
In autumn, fiery red fruits appear that have decorative value. This maple is original both alone and in a group of its associates, and is good as a natural hedge. River maple grows quickly, is undemanding, frost-resistant, and loves light.
Planting and care
Maple is bred in several ways:
- layering;
- seedlings;
- seeds.
Sowing is done in early April in loose, nutritious soil. Seeds are planted 5–10 cm deep. The seedlings hatch on the 15-20th day.
By layering: in the spring you need to cut a strong shoot and apply a solution of a root growth stimulator to the cut site, put a stone in the cut, apply moss, and wrap the branch with film. After a year, separate the shoot with the roots that have appeared and plant it in a prepared place.
The seedlings should be watered frequently: in 7 days they use 15 liters of water. If there is a lot of moisture, and there were no severe frosts in winter, a young maple tree gains growth of up to 1 m per year.
Pests
Maple can be attacked by: mealybug, weevil, maple whitefly. Plants can also be affected by coral spotting and brown rot.
In order to prevent diseases and insect attacks, trees should be sprayed with reagents: chlorophos, nitrafen or dimethoate. Spraying should ideally be carried out in early spring, long before the buds open.
It belongs to the maple genus and can also be called sycamore maple or sycamore maple. It can grow up to 30 meters in height and has a dense, rounded, wide crown. It has large leaves, up to 18 centimeters in diameter, with five lobes that end in sharp lobes. The leaves are attached to the branches using long cuttings. They usually have a light green color, but with the onset of autumn they can take on different colors: red, brown, burgundy and other shades.
Norway maple begins to bloom in the month of May before the leaves bloom and continues to bloom for 10 days. By the time flowering stops, the maple may also complete the process of leaf appearance. Norway maple is a dioecious plant, and therefore male and female flowers are located on different trees. It bears fruit annually and abundantly. Seeds ripen in August-September and can remain on the tree until spring. It begins to bear fruit only in the seventeenth year of life.
Reproduction of Norway maple occurs by seeds, graftings and young shoots formed in the area of the root system. It grows very rapidly in the first three years after planting. It quickly takes root when transplanted, easily tolerates frosty winters, is resistant to winds, and does very well in the shade. Does not take root on rocky soils and salt marshes, prefers moisture-containing fertile lands.
It does well in urban conditions, and therefore in Russia it is the main tree species for landscaping streets and creating parks. It is planted both individually and in groups in the form of entire alleys. Norway maple can be found in deciduous and mixed forests almost throughout Europe, the North Caucasus and the southern borders of the taiga.
This Norway maple has several varieties that differ from each other in the type of crown, their height, the color and shape of the leaves, and other features.
Is not a big tree about 6 meters high and having a spherical dense crown that does not require pruning. Grows slowly, frost, wind and shade tolerant. Grows in wet and fertile soils. It is little affected by pests and diseases. It grows well and develops favorably with constant feeding. Very suitable for landscaping streets and areas around residential buildings.
This deciduous tree reaches a height of 12 meters with a wide pyramidal tight crown. They differ in the presence of a trunk with dark gray bark. It has large leaves with 5-7 lobes of bright red color, transitioning to shiny burgundy, and with the onset of autumn the colors fade. Simultaneously with the appearance of leaves, tiny flowers begin to bloom. yellow flowers. This type of maple tolerates shade well, but prefers places where there is enough light. Does not like a lot of moisture and does not tolerate a lack of it. It is very famous among amateur gardeners, thanks to its decorative crown. Tolerates urban conditions well. The main pest at the moment is powdery mildew. Maple propagates by grafting.
It has an oval dense crown. Grows in height up to 20 meters. Green finger-shaped leaves with a white edge become strawberry-colored when opened, and by autumn the leaves turn yellow. Young shoots are light golden-green in color. It blooms with yellow-green, rounded, flat-shaped flowers. Drummond maple grows and develops well in moist, fertile soils. Sometimes leaves without borders appear on the branches. Such leaves must be removed immediately, and if there are a lot of them on a branch, then the entire branch is removed. In addition, maple pruning is usually done after the leaves have completely blossomed, because during this period the wounds heal quickly and the tree loses a small amount of sap.
Leaves begin to fall in mid-September. They are mainly propagated by grafting. They are used to form living barriers, form alleys and design parks and squares. The lush crown and multi-colored leaves determine its decorative value.
It has an unusual leaf color, a dense crown and can grow up to 20 meters in height. The leaves, almost black in color, retain their color throughout the entire season, and by autumn they take on purple shade. The yellow-orange inflorescences create a certain contrast against the background of the budding leaves, which makes the Crimson King maple very attractive. It grows very quickly and is not averse to growing in any soil; it thrives in light and semi-shaded areas. Gives garden plots originality and sophistication.
Use of Norway maple bark and leaves
In folk medicine, leaves and bark are widely used. For diarrhea, decoctions are made from the bark and taken orally; in addition, the bark has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. The leaves are able to relieve fever and strengthen the body's tone. Decoctions are also made from maple leaves that help with bladder diseases. Norway maple can be safely classified as a honey plant. One hectare of Norway maple plantings can produce up to 200 kg of light honey with excellent taste. Honey improves immunity, calms nervous system, has antiviral and antibacterial properties.
In the not-too-distant past, its leaves were used as a dye for wool. Various furniture, souvenirs and crafts are made from maple wood. Entire parks, alleys and gardens are planted with them.
General information, places of growth
Maple (Acer)- one of the most common trees in our broad-leaved forests. But its role in forests is small - it is only an admixture to the dominant tree species.
The maple family (Aceraceae), consisting of trees and shrubs, includes two genera. One genus is Dipteronia, which grows only in China. The maple itself (Acer) is the name of the second genus, represented by more than 100 species and a huge number of varieties and forms growing in North and Central America, North Africa, the southern half of Asia, and throughout Europe.
These are dioecious plants with small yellow-green flowers. There are 4-5 petals and sepals, sometimes the first ones are missing. Maple fruits develop from flowers and have a special structure. The unripe fruit consists of two small winged fruits, directed in different directions and fused to each other. But, having matured, they become separated and fall separately. It begins to bloom after the leaves bloom or at the same time as them. A blooming maple is always noticeable from afar, because... in the crown of the tree, on bare branches, yellow-green inflorescences resembling loose lumps can be seen. Maple is characterized by the ability to germinate seeds quite early. On sunny days, seeds can germinate even at zero temperatures. Roots appear right on the snow and a little later begin to grow. This is not found in any other tree.
Early shoots are distinguished by the color and shades of the bark. Maple leaves are large, rounded-angular in shape, with pointed protrusions along the edges. Such leaves are called palmate-lobed. The leaf blades always have ray-shaped veins. In autumn, instead of green, maple leaves acquire a purple, yellow, pinkish, brown color, which immediately classifies the trees as decorative appearance. It is impossible to ever see any damage caused by beetles or caterpillars on maple leaves; for unknown reasons, they do not touch the foliage of this tree.
The root system is predominantly superficial. Maple reproduces by seeds and shoots. It is photophilous and uses a jeweled leaf mosaic of the crown to maximize light collection. Heat-loving, drought-resistant, suffers from frost in harsh winters. Its sap flow opens much earlier than that of birch. In the Moscow region it usually begins in late March, and sometimes (during prolonged thaws) - in February. Maple has the ability to “cry”: even with a slight increase in air humidity, droplets (“tears”) fall from the petioles of the leaves. As a rule, this happens a few hours before it rains. Maple lives 150-200 years. But there are also centenarians who live up to 600.
Maple varieties
Maples never occupy a leading position among other tree species; they belong mainly to accompanying species in coniferous, mixed and deciduous forests. In the European part of Russia the most common Norway maple (Acer platanoides)- tree height 20-30 m, approximately 100 cm in diameter. Its large, broad leaves have a distinctive shape, shallowly cut into five pointed lobes that radiate in different directions, like the fingers of a hand. By the way, there are maples in the world whose leaves are even more similar to a human hand with outstretched fingers, this is the far-sighted maple, for example, it is found in Korea and China. The leaf blades are dark green above and slightly lighter below. The crown of the Norway maple is very rich. The stem bark is dark gray, almost black. By old age, the maple trunk becomes covered with numerous shallow cracks. The breed is very shade-tolerant; in this regard, its only competitor is linden.
Tatarian maple, or black maple (Acer tataricum)- is a shrub or small tree 9-12 m tall. The bark is smooth, gray. Type of leaves: three-lobed, oblong-ovate, less often ovate, serrate along the edge, glabrous above, green in color, light green below, slightly pubescent. It is demanding on the mineral composition of the soil, preferring fertile black soils.
Field maple (Acer campestre), or oaklen - a tree up to 15 m, diameter up to 60 cm. The trunk is brown-gray, curved. The lowest branches spread near the surface of the ground. The upper side of the leaves is smooth, the lower side is slightly fluffy. Can adapt to different conditions soil moisture, more thermophilic than Norway maple, but also more drought-resistant.
False sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), or white sycamore in its homeland (Western Caucasus) reaches a height of 30-40m. Slender tree with a diameter of up to 12 m. The trunk is gray with an ash tint. Sycamore is a representative of mountain forests that rarely descend into the plain. It is used to strengthen the banks of canals and rivers, as well as for landscaping streets.
The North Caucasus and Far East, here they highlight:
Light maple (Acer laetum)- tree up to 20-25m tall. The trunk diameter is up to 40 cm. It grows slowly and does not bloom. It is also found in the Middle East.
Manchurian maple (Acer mandshuricum)- a tree native to Primorye, northeastern China, and Korea. Can reach 25 m. With an openwork crown and red-brown shoots.
Acer ginnala maple- grows as a large shrub, reaching 6 m, 10 cm in diameter. The bark is mostly smooth, gray, with small cracks. The edges of the leaves are unequally toothed. It begins to bloom 10-15 days after the leaves bloom.
Ash maple (Acer negundo)- tree up to 20m high. In youth it grows by 40-45 cm per year. The crown with brittle branches, disorderly, grows to 10-14 m in diameter. The olive-green bark thickens every year, turns brown and cracks. Leaves up to 15 cm long. Wood of this type is of the least quality. It is usually used as hedges and has decorative value.
Sugar maple (Acer saccharum)- trees of this type of maple reach the greatest height - up to 40 m and up to 50 cm in diameter. Grows well in southern Russia, freezes in taiga zones. It has very high quality and valuable wood used for manufacturing cutting boards. Sugar maple wood is heavy, hard, durable, dense, fine-grained, and polishes well. The heartwood is reddish-brown. The texture of the core has a characteristic shine.
Semenov's maple (Acer Semenovii)- a small tree (5-6 m), dark brown shoots, three-lobed leaves, the upper lobe is the most toothed and large, the type of inflorescence is a corymbose panicle.
Marbled maple (Acer tegmentosum)- shrub 12-15 m, with smooth gray-green bark. The leaves are very large, round, green, and have tufts of reddish hairs underneath.
Also recognized: Trautfetter maple, or highland maple, Georgian maple, Hyrcanian maple, yellow maple, Komarov maple, false siebold maple, bearded maple, divergent maple, Turkestan maple, Turkmen maple, Regel maple, pubescent maple, red maple, curled maple, or round-leaved maple , palm maple, or fan maple, Pennsylvania maple.
Properties and uses of maple
Among hardwoods, maple wood is one of the most valuable. The wood is white or pale yellow in color, and according to physical and mathematical parameters it is close to oak wood. Wood density is 0.57-0.67 g/cm3. Available whole line features that make it stand out from other trees. The late wood of the annual layers is darker in color than the early wood. Heart-shaped rays give exclusivity and recognition to maple products. Maple wood has a good ability to bend (almost like beech wood), but when steamed it changes color to yellowish-brown. During the drying process, wood can crack and warp, so you need to carefully select the drying mode. Maple is used to make furniture. Well-dried wood exhibits stability of shape and size indoors. Hardness and wear resistance are the main qualities of maple parquet. Small-leaved maple wood is preferred to be used for higher grades of plywood, for interior decoration premises; Mouthguards are very valuable. In the past, maple was used to make shoe nails, rims, and ax handles. No one makes spinning wheels in the modern world anymore, but the best wood than maple, you can’t find it for fine jewelry carvings. Sculptors carve miniature figures from it. Artists engrave maple boards, cover them with paint and make prints on paper. It turns out - woodcut, i.e. “wood writing” (in Greek xylon - tree, wood).
Maple is one of the few trees that have white milky sap. The release of this juice can be observed after the leaves bloom - late spring or early summer. The spring sap of some maples (especially sugar and sugar maples from North America) contains significant amounts of sucrose (in other species, fructose predominates) and serves as a raw material for the production of maple sugar (particularly in Canada). The sugar maple leaf is the national symbol of Canada. Maples are decorative. All types of maples are good honey plants.
By the way, the Japanese believe that the beauty of autumn maple leaves like the beauty of flowers. In Japan, special guidebooks are even created that indicate places from which a beautiful panorama opens onto groves and mountain slopes covered with these trees. As if trying to prolong the charm of autumn, the Japanese have developed varieties of maples that retain the red color of their foliage all year round.
May 13th, 2013
He's the same sycamore maple, or sycamore maple(Acer platanoides) is a deciduous tree 10-30 meters high with a wide and dense spherical crown. Distributed throughout coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests. Also found in the forest (in the area of Mount Prisnovskaya) near our apiary - among aspen, linden, oak, bird cherry, willow and other honey plants.
The trunk is covered with almost black or dark gray bark, while young branches have smooth brown bark. Annual shoots are green or greenish-reddish in color. The Norway maple leaf is divided into five blades pointed at the ends - hence the name. By autumn, the leaves change from green to yellow-golden or reddish. (sometimes orange-red). In forests it occupies the second tier.
Important for beekeeping not in autumn (due to the decorative coloring of the leaves), and in the spring - because it blooms in the first half of May, when the main flowering of willows is somewhat reduced, and the gardens have not yet bloomed. Flowering period Norway maple(7-10 days) “intersects” with the flowering of bird cherry, common cress, willow tristamen, dandelion, and white willow. Fruit and berry crops begin to bloom in vegetable gardens and orchards (plum, serviceberry, currant, honeysuckle). In the village, along the outskirts, backyards and alleys, it is found, but it has already faded.
Branch with flowers and young leaves
Blooming maple flowers are somewhat reminiscent of cordate linden flowers (general form inflorescences, or what?). Last year I saw unopened maple flowers and thought Norway maple there is little in the forest, but, as it turned out, there is enough of it there (I used to think that these were flowering willows, I didn’t come close). When I was in the forest on a photo hunt, the maples were “humming.”
Significance for beekeeping
Honey productivity sycamore maple may be 150-200 kg per hectare of growth, but it is not used in full, for at least two reasons. Firstly, by the beginning of May the bee colony does not have enough strength to collect marketable honey. Secondly, the weather can interfere, as we had in 2011, when frost hit and Norway maple, and pedunculate oak, and small-leaved linden.
In the wild, Norway maple can live up to 150 years.
But this does not mean that there is no honey Norway maple can not be. Bees collect nectar and yellow-greenish pollen from greenish-yellow flowers - families are growing, wintering bees are changing. And only specially prepared families can collect commercial, light, mild aroma and pleasant taste.
