Norway maple, or sycamore - Acer platanoides L. - a large tree from the maple family (Aceraceae) 15-25 (up to 30) m high with a dense spherical crown. In some especially powerful trees, the trunk reaches a meter in diameter. The trunk is covered with brownish-gray cracking bark. The root system is formed by a tap root, which goes relatively shallow into the substrate, and numerous lateral roots, which go far to the sides and cover a huge amount of soil and soil. The leaves are opposite, with well-defined venation, long-petioled, rounded in outline, 5-lobed (less often, the number of lobes is 3 or 7), the recesses between the lobes are rounded, and the lobes themselves also have 3 or 5 lobes ending in pointed tips. Length of leaf blades 5-12 cm, width 8-15 cm; petioles are thin, 5-15 cm long. Young leaves are pubescent along the veins; adults are naked, shiny.
Norway maple flowers on the same tree can be bisexual and dioecious, or only dioecious. They are collected in many-flowered corymbose inflorescences located at the ends of the branches. Calyx of 5 ovate greenish sepals. The corolla is greenish-yellow, with 5 petals, which are slightly longer but narrower than the sepals. The number of stamens ranges from 5 to 1 2. Pistil with an upper 2-celled flat ovary and a style with a 2-separated stigma. In the flowers, nectaries are developed, abundantly secreting a sweet liquid.
Blossoms in April - May, simultaneously with the blooming of the leaves or even a little earlier. The fruit is a double pale greenish lionfish 8-1 1 cm long, splitting into 2 non-opening one-seeded fruitlets, each of which is a flattened nutlet, equipped with a large flat wing. The seed is flat, with a large embryo. In September, the lionfish turn brown, break up into separate fruitlets and crumble. Whirling by the wing, the fruitlets are picked up by the wind and are mother plant but close. Fruiting almost every year is plentiful.
Norway maple propagates by seed. Most fallen in autumn and early winter seeds germinate the next spring, but, unfortunately, most seedlings die before they have lived even a year. Those few seedlings that remain alive grow rapidly in the first years of life. Maple is a fast-growing species, the trees reach their maximum height by the age of 50-60, after which the growth in height practically stops, but the crown continues to increase, and the trunk thickens. Maple trees live up to 150-200, according to some sources up to 300 years.
maple spread
Norway maple is a European plant. It is quite widespread in the forest zone of European Russia, reaching in the north to South Karelia, and in the east to the Urals. It grows in broad-leaved and mixed forests, as a rule, as an admixture in the second layer, but in some areas maple can dominate. Prefers areas with fertile loamy soils. Most maple is in oak forests, especially those occupying forest ravines. It is considered a companion of oak and ash in our forests. It has long been bred in settlements like beautiful tree with original leaves. It is planted in parks, squares, along streets, in yards, in sheltered forest belts. If in summer it is remarkable for its lush greenery, then in autumn maple strikes with an abundance of bright colors - before crumbling, its leaves convey a whole range of yellow, gold, lemon, orange flowers. Maple is a shade-tolerant breed, especially when young. Prefers habitats with fairly fertile soils. It needs sufficient soil moisture, inferior in this respect to oak, which is why there is little or no maple in the southern oak forests.
Economic use of Norway maple
Maple Norway has a valuable pinkish or yellowish wood with high strength and hardness. It is well polished and amenable to turning. It is used for the manufacture of a wide variety of joinery and turning products. In particular, it is used to make furniture, spokes for cart wheels, skis and other sports equipment, string musical instruments. It is valued in the plywood industry. Non-commercial wood is used for firewood, which is of high quality: it burns well, gives a lot of heat, the flame almost does not smoke. Norway maple is an outstanding honey plant. It is believed that from 1 hectare of maple plantations, bees are able to collect from 150 to 200 kg of honey. One tree of decent size produces up to 10 kg of honey. Unfortunately, early flowering does not always allow domestic bees to take full advantage of maple nectar, since at this time the bee colonies have not yet fully recovered from wintering. The sap of many maple species is harvested for the production of sugar and syrup. This industry is especially developed in Canada. Image maple leaf became the symbol of this country. Norway maple is also suitable for obtaining sweet, quite edible juice, but this industry, fortunately for maple trees, is not developed in our country. Yellow and black dyes were obtained from maple leaves, which were used to dye wool in carpet production.
Medicinal value of Norway maple and methods of therapeutic use
WITH medicinal purposes Norway maple is used only in traditional medicine.
Maple sap, like birch sap, is a vitamin and soft drink known to the people for a long time.
In the spring, it is useful to drink a warm mixture of maple sap and milk, taken in equal amounts, for coughing.
Sweet Maple Juice- an excellent tonic that improves mood during and after pregnancy. The boiled maple sap allows you to use it throughout the year with tea.
For renal colic, diseases of the bladder, kidney stones, it is recommended to take: 2 tablespoons of infusion of leaves 4-5 times a day for 20 minutes. before meals.
A decoction of leaves and seeds is prescribed for diseases of the kidneys, upper respiratory tract, pneumonia and acute respiratory diseases.
According to Raphael maple is ruled by the moon and is healing for those born under the sign of Cancer.
- Landing: in early spring or in autumn.
- Lighting: bright light or light shade.
- The soil: well-drained, fertile, containing peat compost and humus.
- Watering: after planting - frequent, later - regular: water consumption for one irrigation for an adult tree - 2 buckets, for a young one - 4. Timely and sufficient soil moisture is especially important in dry and hot weather.
- Top dressing: from the second spring trunk circle mulch with a layer of rotted manure 3 cm thick, and throughout the season, tablets with a slow release of nutrients are laid out in the root zone with the following frequency: until the end of spring - twice a month, until the end of summer - once.
- Pruning: only for sanitary purposes in early spring, before the awakening of the kidneys.
- Reproduction: seeds, aerial and root layering.
- Pests: mealybugs, whiteflies and leaf weevils.
- Diseases: coral spotting.
Read more about growing Norway maple below.
Norway maple - description
The height of the Norway maple can reach 30, and sometimes more than meters. Its trunk is covered with brownish-gray, almost black fissured bark, and on young branches the bark is smooth, reddish-gray. The crown of the Norway maple is rounded, wide, strong branches are directed downwards. Maple leaves are palmate, simple, opposite, with large-toothed lobes pointed at the ends, which can be 5-7 pieces. The upper side of the plate is dark green, the lower side is paler. In autumn, the leaves of the sharp-toothed maple turn yellow or orange colors. From the veins and petioles of broken leaves, milky juice is released. The tree blooms in the first half of May with fragrant yellowish-green flowers, collected in corymbs of 15-30 pieces. Since the Norway maple is a dioecious plant, the flowers on it are either female or male. The plant is pollinated by insects. The nectary, which is a flat ring in which the bases of the stamens are immersed, is located between the ovary and the petals. The fruit of the Norway maple is a lionfish that breaks up into two one-seeded fruitlets, ripening at the end of summer and sometimes does not fall from the tree until the end of winter. The plant is a honey plant.
Norway maple looks very similar to another species - Canadian maple, or sugar maple. They are distinguished primarily by the juice that stands out from the petioles: in the Canadian maple it is transparent. In addition, the autumn color of the leaves of the Canadian maple is brighter, and the bark is rougher and rougher. The shape of the leaves of the Canadian maple is not as broad-leaved as that of the leaves of the Norway maple. These two maples also differ in the type of buds: in the Canadian one they are bright green, and in the holly one they have a reddish tinge.
Planting Norway Maple
Norway maple is planted in early spring or autumn. The distance from maple to any other plant should be at least 2.5-3 m. When creating a hedge, Norway maple seedlings are placed at intervals of about 2 m. Norway maple is planted in a sunny or slightly shaded place in well-drained soil. landing pit should be at least four times wider than the root ball, but equal in depth. However, when planting maple in a high-lying area ground water the pit needs to be made deeper so that a layer of drainage from broken brick, crushed stone or screenings with a thickness of at least 15 cm.
Make sure that the root system of the seedling does not dry out before planting: soak its roots for several hours in water.
The fertile mixture that is to fill the pit should consist of three parts of peat compost or humus, two parts of soddy soil and one part of sand. At the bottom of the pit, you need to throw 120-150 g of Nitroammophoska, then lower the roots of the seedling into the pit, straighten them and fill the space with a fertile mixture. The root neck of the seedling should be a few centimeters above the surface. After planting in the near-stem circle of a maple, you need to pour at least three buckets of water, and when it is absorbed and the soil settles, the root collar will be where it should be - at the surface level. In the coming days, the area around the seedling should be covered with a layer of peat or dry earth 3-5 cm thick.
Norway maple care
How to grow Norway Maple.
Maple trees need to be watered frequently after planting. But not only seedlings, but already strong and even adult maples need regular watering, especially in summer. Water them in spring and autumn once a month and every week in summer. Cost per mature plant- about 2 buckets, and young maples need twice as much water. However, if the leaves of the tree have become too light green tint, then this suggests that you overdid it with soil moisture. And drooping leaves are a sign of insufficient watering. After moistening the soil, the trunk circle is loosened from time to time, at the same time removing the weeds that have appeared in the root zone.
If you fertilized the hole when planting, the maple will not need to be fed until the end of the current season. From the second spring, rotted manure is used as a fertilizer, with a layer of which 3 cm thick evenly mulch the trunk circle of the tree. The plant responds well to slow-release tablets, which are laid out in the root zone twice a month from the beginning of the growing season until the end of spring, and then once a month until the end of summer.
The dormant period of maple lasts from the first frost until March. Young plants need to be covered for the winter: the bole of Norway maple is wrapped in burlap and tied with a rope - both from frost and from rodents. Be sure to cover the root neck of the tree with spruce branches. With age, the frost resistance of maple increases, and these measures will become redundant.
Pruning maple holly.
Pruning of Norway maple is carried out exclusively for sanitary purposes: they remove broken, frozen, dry or diseased or pest-affected shoots and branches, as well as basal shoots. To make the tree look neat, you can shorten the shoots sticking out to the sides and cut out those that grow inside the crown. The beautiful spherical crown of Norway maple does not need forming pruning.
Pests and diseases of Norway maple.
A characteristic disease for maples is coral spotting, which is manifested by the death of branches and the formation of small burgundy spots on the tree bark. The affected branches must be removed immediately, and the cuts must be treated with garden pitch. Before cutting and after garden tools need to be disinfected.
From insects, mealybugs, whiteflies and leaf weevils bring harm to Norway maple. Whitefly larvae are destroyed by treating the maple with Ammophos, after cutting out and setting on fire the branches affected by them. maple occupation mealybugs can be avoided if the tree is treated by leaves with Nitrafen before the buds swell, and the remedy for weevils is Chlorophos solution, prepared in accordance with the instructions and used to process the tree by leaves.
Reproduction of maple holly
Propagation of Norway maple seeds.
Maple is easily propagated by seed. Seeds are sown in a seedling bed in the fall so that they undergo a natural stratification during the winter months. In the spring, friendly shoots will appear that will need to be planted. It is possible to sow in March, but in this case, the seeds will have to be stratified for 5-7 days in vegetable box refrigerator by placing them in a container with wet sand.
Reproduction of Norway maple by air layering.
On the branch from which you are going to make layers, you need to cut the bark obliquely several times with a sterile sharp knife and process the adjacent cuts with a root former (Heteroauxin or Kornevin). Styrofoam grains are inserted into the incisions so that their edges do not close again, after which the wounds must be covered with wet moss, and put on top of this part of the branch plastic bag, securing it tightly above and below the incisions. After that, cover the bag from the sun with canvas or aluminum foil.
Gradually, in the places of incisions, roots will begin to grow, which will be immersed in wet sphagnum. Next spring, at the right time active growth, the layers are separated from the maple, freed from polyethylene, foil or fabric, and planted in the ground together with sphagnum.
Reproduction of Norway maple by root layers.
Several incisions are also made on the root shoots closer to the surface of the earth, they are treated with a solution of a root former and highly spud, covering the incisions with earth. During the season, water and spud the cuttings: by next spring it will develop its own roots, and you can dig it up and plant it in a new place.
Norway maple varieties
Norway maple has several decorative forms and many varieties. The most commonly used is the spherical shape of the maple - a slow-growing tree that is grown by grafting into a stem or root neck, which achieves a bushy appearance of the plant. The standard form is used in alley and single plantings. For decorating lawns, it is grafted into the root collar. The palm-cut form of the maple is a showy plant with dark green leaves separated to the base. The Drummond Norway Maple is a tree with leaves that are pink when blooming and then white-edged, which makes a lasting impression with its unusual beauty. The Golden Globe shape is a tree with a spherical crown and golden foliage.
Of the varieties of Norway maple, the most commonly grown are:
- – Norway maple Globozum- a tree not higher than 7 m with a crown diameter of 3 to 5 m. The leaves of the plant are palmate-separate, consisting of 5 parts. When blooming, they are pink, then become dark green, and yellow-orange in autumn;
- – Norway Maple Crimson King- a tree up to 20 m high with a crown shape typical of a plant of this species and rich purple, almost black leaves throughout the season. When blooming, they are bright red with pink cataphylls, then the leaves gradually darken to a burgundy hue, and in autumn the upper side of the plate acquires a purple tint;
- – Norway Maple Crimson Sentry- a slender tree up to 20 m high and a crown diameter of up to 8 m. The branches of this variety are directed upwards, palmately divided bright red leaves consist of five parts;
- – Norway maple Deborah- a plant up to 20 m high with a crown width of up to 15 m. Five-seven-lobed leaves with a slightly wavy edge reach a length of 15 and a width of 20 cm. When blooming, they are shiny, purple-red on the upper side, and dark on the lower side. green. Then the upper part of the plate gradually turns green and eventually acquires a brown tint, and in autumn the leaves turn yellow-orange;
- – Norway Maple Emerald Queen is a fast-growing tree up to 15 m high with a crown diameter of up to 10 m, palmate-lobed leaves, bronze when blooming, then acquiring green color, and turning yellow in autumn;
- – Norway Maple Faassens Black- a tree of the same size with light red leaves up to 15 cm wide when blooming, which gradually darken, becoming shiny, almost black with a purple-violet tint;
- – Norway Maple Royal Red- the height of this tree is from 8 to 12 m. The leaves are blood-red when blooming, then they become black-red and shiny, and turn red again in autumn;
- – Farlakes Green- Norway maple is red, then its leaves become dark green in color, and in autumn they turn bright yellow. In height, this tree with an ovoid crown reaches 12-15 m;
- – Cleveland- the diameter of the wide-ovoid crown of this variety can reach from 6 to 8 m with a tree height of 12-15 m. Over time, the crown becomes almost spherical. The palmately lobed leaves of the plant, consisting of five parts, are light green in April, then turn dark green, and bright yellow in autumn.
Gardeners in England, Germany and Holland often use in landscaping big trees with variegated or brightly colored foliage, therefore varietal diversity maple opens up great opportunities for landscape designers. For example, the slope of a ravine or mountain, planted with maples with purple, yellow or variegated foliage, looks like a decoration for a fairy tale.
As for the design of summer cottages and household plots, even a single holly maple of the Crimson King variety brings a unique flavor, and if you make a composition with it from ornamental shrubs and trees, you can achieve much more success. This task is not easy, because when planting seedlings, it will be necessary to take into account not only the color compatibility of plants, but also their future sizes. However, when correct calculations and good theoretical preparation, this task is feasible.
Maple is a very common tree in Russia and Europe. It is often planted in park areas, where it gets along well with oak trees. Landscape designers love maple for its fast growth and frost resistance. This allows you to grow these trees even in northern latitudes, where they take root well. A distinctive feature of the maple is the diversity of its species and the beauty of the leaves. They delight with their patterns and colors. Especially solemnly beautiful Description of such bouquets can often be found in literary works. Not only writers, but also schoolchildren are interested in this tree. In the 6th grade in biology, close attention was paid to the description of the maple leaf. Children study its structure in a special section of the textbook. In this article we will give a description and photo of maple leaves, as well as talk a little about the species diversity of this beautiful tree.
Where does maple grow?
Maples are considered one of the most common trees on the planet. They grow in the northern regions of Europe, in North America and even in the tropics. Botanists claim that even on the African continent there is one type of maple.
About twenty varieties of this tree grow in our country. It is noteworthy that maples very rarely form dense thickets. They prefer to grow alone, but sometimes form small groups.
Maples do best in mountainous areas. They can be found even at an altitude of three thousand meters above sea level. Therefore, a lot of maple species grow in the Caucasus, where botanists count more than eleven of them.
Japanese maple is listed in the Red Book. This magnificent tree immediately strikes the imagination unusual view. In the textbook on biology, the description of the maple leaf is given in great detail, including the Red Book tree.
a brief description of
Before proceeding to the description of maple leaves, we want to talk in more detail about the tree itself. Usually it grows quite high - from ten to twenty meters. Among the variety of species there are also shrubs. They usually do not grow above ten meters, the average height fluctuates within five meters.
Most maples are deciduous. In summer, they delight with lush greenery of a bizarre shape, and in autumn they change color. By winter, maple leaves fall off (in biology, a description of this process is given in grade 6).
Maple has a very beautiful wood, which is often used by carpenters in their work. It is characterized by white color with yellow and reddish veins.
Distinctive features of the tree
Interesting and unusual are not only maple leaves (we will give a description in one of the following sections of the article), but also some of its features. They will be discussed later.
For example, it is very important that a tree can survive almost any frost. They won't harm him. And in the spring it will wake up one of the first, delighting the inhabitants of the cities with delicate greenery.
Maple is also not afraid of the lack of water. In the heat, many trees dry and lose their foliage, and during a long drought they can die completely. But this does not threaten the maple, it will calmly survive the difficult period, then releasing even more new shoots.
We have already mentioned that the tree grows very quickly. In one year, it can increase by one meter, and all shoots will be covered with dense foliage.
The description of maple would be incomplete without mentioning one more of its features. Men in different countries of the world are very fond of sweet maple juice. In the spring, it is easy to get it by making a small incision on the trunk. Often, various sweets are made from the juice. For example, residents of most American states cannot imagine a dessert without maple syrup. It is produced by various companies and is very popular.
Description of leaves: general information
What is a leaf? What is the definition in botany? If we refer to educational materials, then we can say that a leaf is an organ of a plant located above the ground. It is attached to the side of the stem and performs three important functions.
First of all, it is photosynthesis, without which it is impossible to imagine any plant. Also, evaporation and respiration processes pass through the leaves.
The sheet consists of several parts, which we will list in the following list:
- Plate. This part is the largest and widest. The leaf plate constantly turns after the sun's rays. Its main task is to get as much sunlight as possible.
- Petiole. It departs from the base of the plate, and with its help it is attached to the plant. The petiole has a narrow and elongated shape. It is he who helps the plate to rotate freely behind the sun. At the point of attachment to the plant, it has a slight thickening.
- The base of the sheet. This is the name of the place of attachment to the stem or branch.
- Stipules. They are not found in all plants. Usually stipules are outgrowths located at the base of the leaf. They are very tightly pressed against the petiole and can have a bright color.
Notably, leaves may have one or more leaf blades. They differ from each other in shape and structure.
Now we can move on to the description of the maple leaf (in biology, in the 6th grade, students begin to study this topic). Let's start with the form.
maple: description
The tree has palmate leaves. At first glance, this form is very similar to the palmate, but this is just at first glance. In the textbook on botany, a number of comments are attached to the description of the maple leaf, which make it possible not to confuse its shape with similar ones.
In maple, the leaf lobes are quite wide and look large, while the palmate form is characterized by narrow and slightly elongated lobes. On maple leaves (the description will be incomplete without mentioning this nuance) there are veins. Usually there are from three to nine of them on one blade, while one of them always has a more pronounced size and lies in the center.
This characteristic is identical to the description of Norway maple leaf and fits most of the known species. However, some trees stand out for their leaf shape, which does not match the general description.
Characteristics of leaves depending on the type
Some maples may surprise with shamrocks. This form looks rather bizarre, but is not uncommon. You can see it, for example, at either Maksimovich.
The ash-leaved maple is distinguished by a complex-pinnate leaf structure. It can consist of three, five or even nine leaves. Botanists are still trying to figure out what exactly their number depends on.
The hornbeam maple has simple leaves that are very much like They are distinguished by pinnate venation.
Maple blossom
If you have a maple planted in your yard, then you probably know that bees always gather around it during the flowering period. And this is not surprising, because the tree is classified as a honey plant. Its small yellowish buds emit a very pleasant delicate aroma that attracts not only bees, but also squirrels.
Many beekeepers specifically plant maples next to apiaries. It is believed that this type of tree is very suitable for this.
Flowering trees occur at the very end of winter or early spring. Usually, by the end of April, absolutely all trees bloom. The petals are often colored in reds, greens and oranges. However, yellow flowers are the most common.
The structure of maple flowers
In a biology textbook, the description of maple leaves is often accompanied by a description of the structure of the flowers. They usually have five petals arranged symmetrically to each other. It is noteworthy that flowers are collected in different shapes. On some trees it is an umbrella, on others it is a brush. There are maples where the flowers are collected in a corymb.
However, this characteristic does not matter when it comes to the structure. Each flower has two pistils and about twelve stamens.
maple fruit
In Soviet times maples different types actively planted in parks. But today, such close attention is not paid to the beautification of urban areas, so no one is engaged in mass planting of trees. However, there are only more maples. What is the reason for this fact?
Everything is very simple. The fact is that maples reproduce perfectly by self-fall. Their fruits are able to germinate and literally in a couple of years turn from a timid sprout into a full-fledged young tree.
Such survival is ensured by the very shape of the fruit. They resemble a small propeller, which is kept on a branch almost until the frost. Then gusts of wind carry these "helicopters" to all neighborhoods, where they wait for the onset of spring.
Usually no more than ten percent of the seeds germinate, but even this amount is enough to maintain the maple population.
Diseases
Maple leaves are very fond of pests, so they are often attacked by various insects. For example, great harm the trees are attacked by aphids, lepidoptera larvae and the Asian barbel. These pests almost completely eat maple leaves and, as a result, trees die in large numbers.
Trees and fungal diseases are also susceptible. Most often they suffer from powdery mildew, black mold and root rot. These diseases cause damage to maples of varying severity. Some completely destroy the tree, while others simply spoil the thick and beautiful crown.
Experts offer to fight pests and fungal diseases mainly with fungicides. There is a solution for every problem. I would like to clarify that maple is a very tenacious tree. With proper care, it can cope with any pest and quickly recovers. Therefore, despite a large number of dangers, it often becomes the main decoration of the garden.
Maple Benefits
Of course, first of all, maples are valued for their beauty. After all, these trees delight with openwork leaves, an unusual color of the trunk and incredibly bright colors crowns in autumn period. You can admire maple for a long time, so landscape designers often plant it separately from other trees, thereby creating a certain accent.
From time immemorial, musical instruments have been made from maple wood. There are many ancient violins, created by the hands of great masters, which were once beautiful and strong tree with a spreading crown.
In the US, maple is often used to make baseball bats, as well as bowling pins. They are durable and easy to care for.
Folk omens and mystical legends
People have always considered maple an amazing tree and associated many beliefs with it. For example, it was customary to plant a maple in the courtyard of the house. At that moment, the life of the tree was closely intertwined with the soul of the owner of the house. While he was in good health, he pleased with his beauty and maple. But after the death of a person, the tree usually withered within a few days.
In ancient times, it was believed that maple reacts to the condition of people. If a suffering person touched it, then the tree died in a few days. It absorbed all the negativity that had accumulated in the soul of the offended, and could not cope with it.
One of folk signs says that before it starts to rain, the maple begins to secrete juice and seems to cry. In spring, this phenomenon is considered as a sign of the imminent onset of heat.
Norway maple, or Plane-shaped maple, or Platan-leaved maple (lat. Ácer platanoídes) is a species of maple that is widespread in Europe and Southwest Asia. common plant in all regions of Central Russia.
Often cultivated as ornamental plants in gardens and along roadsides. Botanists and phenologists consider the beginning of sap flow in Norway maple to be the onset of spring in the plant world.
Deciduous tree 12-28 m high with a wide, dense spherical crown.
The bark of young trees is smooth, gray-brown, darkens to almost black with age and is covered with long, narrow, intertwining longitudinal cracks.
The branches are strong, wide, directed upwards; brown or reddish-gray, with a terminal (apical) green or purple kidney in the form of a turban with large kidney scales.
The leaves are simple, palm-shaped, opposite, with 5-7 serrated, coarsely serrated lobes, pointed at the ends of the lobes, glabrous, up to 18 cm in length. Dark green above, paler beneath, turning yellow or orange in autumn and then falling off.
Norway maple, autumn leaf color
From the petioles of the leaves and the veins of the broken leaf, a characteristic milky-colored juice stands out.
The flowers are fragrant, glabrous, bright, yellowish-green, collected in a corymb of 15-30, appear in the first half of May before and during leafing. Norway maple is a dioecious plant, that is, male and female flowers usually bloom on different trees. Pollinated by insects.
The nectary is a flat ring and is located between the petals and the ovary, the bases of the stamens are immersed in it.
The fruit is a double lionfish, splitting into two single-seeded non-opening fruitlets, with two long (3.5-5.5 cm) wings diverging at an obtuse angle or almost horizontally, which are capable of carrying the seed over a long distance.
The seeds are naked, with a large green coiled embryo, without endosperm, flattened, ripen in late summer and may remain on the tree during the winter. The seed coat is thin. Fruiting is plentiful and annual, in Russia - in September.
The first 3 years it grows quite quickly, the annual increase young tree sometimes reaches a meter, begins to bear fruit after 17 years. In nature, lives up to 150 years.
Norway maple range according to: Svendsen, K. Udbredelseskort over Vedplanter. Kobenhavn. 1971.
Differences from similar species:
Norway maple is similar in morphology to sugar maple (Acer saccharum). You can distinguish them by the juice that stands out from the petioles of the leaves. In sugar maple it is transparent, while in Norway it has a milky color.
Autumn leaves Norway maple is most often painted in a simple yellow, orange and red shades are uncharacteristic for him. In contrast, sugar maple leaves are much brighter orange.
The bark of the sugar maple is rougher and rougher, while that of the Norway maple has only narrow fissures.
The leaves of the sugar maple are more triangular in shape, while those of the Norway maple are more spreading. The seeds of the sugar maple are spherical, those of the holly maple are flattened. The buds of the holly are reddish-green, the sugar buds are pure green.
Distribution of Norway maple
Distributed in Europe and Asia from France in the west to the European territory of Russia in the east. The northern border of distribution is limited by the southern regions of Scandinavia and Karelia, the southern - by northern Iran.
At the northern limit of its natural distribution, it grows in a bushy manner.
The distribution area is characterized by a minimum and a maximum of the sum of active temperatures (1150 and 2600, respectively), which on average are above 5 °C.
In Russia, it grows from the North Caucasus in the south to the southern border of the taiga zone - in the north.
In nature, it grows in deciduous or mixed forests singly or in small groups, on the edges; rarely forms pure plantations, mainly on the slopes of river valleys. Gives a lot of self-seeding.
Prefers moist, fertile, well-drained soils. Sensitive to low nitrogen content, saline soils and stagnant moisture. It does not grow well in sandy, clay or lime-rich soils.
Shade-tolerant, but gradually loses this quality with age. Hardy - USDA hardiness zone 3, tolerates fairly low temperatures.
Introduced into the "Red Book of Karelia".
Reproduction of Norway maple
In nature, it reproduces by seeds.
In garden culture and park construction, it is propagated by seeds, root shoots, "in vitro", garden molds- vaccination.
Seeds need stratification at 0-3°C for 2-3 months. At 5-7 °, its duration increases. Stratification at 0-3° can be reduced to 1.5-2.5 months if the seeds are then germinated at 10°.
Isolated embryos begin to grow slowly and not all. Treatment with kinetin stimulates the growth of the embryo (50 mg/l) and seeds without pericarp (500 mg/l). Treatment with kinetin and then with thiourea (1%) works even better on the seeds - after that, 50-80% of the seeds germinate in the heat in 2-3 weeks.
Seeds are very sensitive to aeration conditions. When stored dry, seeds lose their germination capacity by spring.
Diseases and pests of Norway maple
Pathogenic fungi:
Of the fungi of the genus Taphrina, Norway maple is affected by the species Taphrina acerina, which causes watery brown spots on the leaves, sometimes leading to the appearance of "witch's broom".
Norway maple introduction
Does well in non-native areas North America, but at the same time behaves aggressively towards the local flora, crowding out local species. Its dense foliage shade other plants and release toxins, changing the composition of microorganisms and fungi in the soil. A shallow root system does not allow other trees to germinate, taking nutrients from them.
There are studies showing that Norway maple, as well as sugar maple and large-leaved beech (Fagus grandifolia), are replacing the previously dominant oaks in the United States - white oak (Quercus alba), red oak (Quercus rubra), and velvety oak (Quercus velutina).
Uses and Applications of Norway Maple
Norway maple is widely planted in gardens, parks and along city roads. Decorative throughout the growing season. Gives abundant shoots from the stump. Well withstands transplantation and urban conditions, wind-resistant.
Within the range - one of the main breeds for landscape gardening in Russia.
Valued for big sizes, dense crown, slender trunk, ornamental foliage. It is used for single and alley landings, colorful groups. Especially effective autumn outfit against the background coniferous trees. In garden culture since ancient times.
Honey plant. It is of great importance for beekeeping as an early melliferous and pollen-bearing plant. Maple honey belongs to light varieties with excellent palatability. From 1 hectare of flowering 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.
Garden ornamental forms and cultivars of Norway maple
It has many forms that differ in color, shape of the crown and leaves and growth characteristics:
Acer platanoides f. Stolli Schwer. = Acer platanoides "Oekonomierat Stoll" = Acer platanoides "Stollii"
Acer platanoides var. schwedleri (K.Koch) Hartw. = Acer platanoides "Schwedleri" - leaves on long petioles, shiny blood red when blooming, later turning green; reddish shoots
"Columnare" - columnar crown shape
"Crimson King" - with dark purple, almost black leaves throughout the season; selected from seedlings of the form "Schwedleri" in Belgium in 1937; "Ruby Red" and
"Goldsworth Purple" are similar
Crimson Sentry
'Deborah' - starts spring with reddish-purple foliage, turning deep bronze green during summer and bronze in fall
"Drummondii" - with white-bordered leaves, pink when blooming; Selected from the Drummond Nursery in Scotland circa 1903
Faassens Black
"Farlake's Green"
"Globosa" ("Globosum") - a low tree with an almost round compact crown; selected by Van Gutt in 1873
"Heterophyllum variegatum"
"Laciniatum" - with leaves cut into smaller lobes
"Maculatum" - with spotted leaves
"Novus" - with yellow tips of leaf blades
"Palmatifida" - leaves are divided almost to the base
'Princeton Gold' leaves bright yellow from spring to autumn when they turn a soft greenish yellow
"Pyramidale Nanum" - undersized pyramidal form
"Red Emperor" - dark red summer foliage turns pink in autumn
"Royal Red" - leaves are dark red all summer, leaf blades are strongly wrinkled
In North America, up to 100 varieties and cultivars of Norway maple are offered for sale to gardeners.
Speaking of maple, most people usually represent the most common maple in the broad-leaved forests of the European part of Russia. . Who hasn't picked its five-lobed yellow-orange leaves in the fall? Meanwhile, the kind Maple (Acer) has more than 150 species of trees and shrubs. Many of them have proven to be excellent park plants, elegant in autumn with bright yellow, orange, red, purple, pinkish foliage. Some species remain decorative throughout the season, as they have expressive flowers or brightly colored lionfish. All types of honey plants are very valuable, as they bloom at a time when there are few honey plants.
In nature, representatives of the genus are distributed in Europe, Western, Central and East Asia, in the Himalayas, in North and Central America. Usually they are components of broad-leaved forests, but sometimes they are found as an admixture with conifers. On the territory of Russia, 25 species naturally grow, about 45 species are introduced.
Among the maples there are both large and small trees and shrubs.
From large trees the most common is Norway maple (Acerplatanoides), a plant of lowland forests that has earned a reputation as one of the most beautiful and reliable breeds for alleys and parks. Tree up to 30 m tall, with a dense ovoid crown, on open space grows more spreading.
Considering that this tree familiar to us has unusual decorative forms, among which there are varieties with constantly red foliage. (Crimson King, Reitenbachii, Faascen's Black, etc.), with a white or yellow border around the edge of the leaf blade (Drummondii, Aurea), with deeply dissected leaf lobes (Laciniatum) as well as with spherical (globosum,Goldenglobe,RubraGlobe) and pyramidal crown (Columnare,Olmstedt,CrimsonSentry,EmeraldQueen.), which does not require special pruning, then it can be safely attributed to the most decorative woody plants.
Another tall one is false plane maple (Acerpseudoplataniodes) from the mountain forests of the Caucasus, up to 40 m in height, with a powerful, up to 2 m in diameter, trunk, and a dense tent-shaped crown. This maple is a long-liver, can live up to 250 years.
The North American introducer Silver Maple has the same height. (Acersaccharin) with silver-white carved leaves from the inside, a see-through crown and beautiful drooping branches. In the conditions of the Moscow region, young branches freeze slightly and break under the weight of snow. Despite its drought resistance, in nature it often grows along the banks, for which it received the name "water maple" in its homeland. Openwork and airy variety "Laciniatum".
field maple (Acercampestre),small-leaved maple (Acermono) , (Acertegmentosum), ash-leaved maple (Acernegundo)- trees of medium size, up to 15 m.
field maple (Acer campestre) quite common in the European part of Russia. It is a fairly slow growing species, often growing as a dense shrub. It tolerates shearing well and is attractive for hedges. One of the best views for landscaping, has many elegant forms, especially decorative in spring and autumn.
Maple mono or small-leaved (Acermono) - Far Eastern, widely spreading tree. The leaves resemble Norway maple, but are smaller in size. In urban conditions, it is quite stable due to the dense texture of the leaves. It reduces urban noise well, therefore it is used in forest park plantings.
(Acertegmentosum) easily recognizable by the beautiful greenish-gray bark with longitudinal white stripes. Yes, and his leaves are wonderful - shallow three-lobed, thin, slightly reminiscent of linden in their texture and outlines, the same golden yellow color in autumn.
Ash-leaved maple (Acer negundo) came to us from North America, and due to the high growth rate and abundant self-seeding behaved like a real weed, for which he received the nickname "scoundrel". Due to the fragility of the branches, it does not tolerate winds and the severity of snow, therefore, despite its unpretentiousness, it has not earned the respect of landscapers. But its varieties with variegated leaves, reaching only 5-7 m in height, are very decorative and not so aggressive. Especially interesting variety "Flamingo" with white-green-pink foliage.
Or riverine (Acerginnala) grows as a bush, up to 6 m tall. It has elongated three-lobed leaves, which acquire a rich crimson color in autumn, which looks great against the background. coniferous plants. Low growth allows it to be used in the landscape for single and group plantings, edges, banks of a reservoir. It cuts well and forms densely leafy hedges, up to borders 0.5 m high.
(Acer tataricum)- Shrub or small tree up to 8 m tall. It stands out among maples with atypical whole leaves and the highest winter hardiness. It is especially decorative during the fruiting period due to pink-red lionfish, and the red-leaved form "Rubra" becomes most decorative in autumn. It tolerates shearing well, can be used for hedges.
Species of Far Eastern origin, low in stature, are valued when creating oriental gardens not only for its openwork foliage, but also for the sculptural curved lines of the branches. Is it palm-shaped maple or fan (Acerpalmatum), with openwork open leaves, blazing in autumn, and false-sibold maple (Acerpseudosieboldianum), which can successfully replace it where higher winter hardiness is needed (including in the conditions of the Moscow region). It is more slender, grows as a tree up to 8 m tall.
Some maples are grown in standard form: Norway maple "Palmatifida" And "dissectum" field maple "Compact" false sibold maple, represented by many varieties. I would like to warn against acquiring standard forms of palmate maple, which can endure a mild winter, but freeze to the place of grafting in a harsh one. These forms are not for the Moscow region, but for more southern regions. IN middle lane highly decorative varieties of palmate maple are grown in elfin form, often planted in mixborders, or used as a container culture.
Most maples are fast-growing species that require soil fertility. Some species are quite unpretentious and drought-resistant (ash-leaved maple, Tatar maple, field maple), others are demanding on moisture, in nature they prefer river banks (Ginnal maple, sugar maple). Far Eastern species are demanding on air humidity.
Of particular note is the North American Red Maple (Acerrubrum)- one of the few woody plants that can tolerate prolonged waterlogging (another name is marsh maple). The red maple is so named for the red flowers that adorn the tree before the leaves bloom. But it is especially decorative in autumn, painted in bright yellow-red tones. This species is valuable for urban plantings, as it tolerates air pollution well.
There are species that are very demanding of light, but in their youth, most are shade-tolerant, one of the most shade-tolerant is field maple. This does not apply to decorative forms and varieties with variegated foliage that always need good lighting, and in the shade they turn green and lose their expressive colors.
Maples are relatively thermophilic, especially species of southern and Far Eastern origin used in the creation Japanese gardens, for which the most successful choice would be a lace maple of false sibolds or a North American species of curled maple, which is not very common in our country (Acercircinatum), reminiscent of fan maple, but characterized by less deeply cut leaves. It should be taken into account, however, that in harsh winters it can freeze one-year growths.
Photo: Rita Brilliantova, Maxim Minin
