The beauty of maples has long conquered the hearts of people, they are especially fantastically beautiful in autumn. How many poems poets of different times devoted to this tree, how many times it was captured on the canvases of artists … In Japan, there are even catalogs and guides from which you can find out the most beautiful places where maple grows. But this tree is not only famous for its beauty. Carpenters, for example, love it very much for the quality of wood, and folk healers - for its healing properties. This tree can be found in the forests of many countries. Botanists number about one hundred and fifty types of maple. More than ten varieties of this wonderful tree grow in Russia. This article will describe some types of this plant. You will also learn about the lifespan of a maple tree.
Description of the tree. Maple species
Maple is a very common type of wood. It can often be found in parks.and squares, as well as in deciduous forests. But, despite this, this tree is not dominant, most often maple grows in nature as an "admixture" to various dominant tree species. Translated from Latin, "maple" means "sharp". The tree got its name for the pointed shape of the leaves. Maple, numbering more than a hundred species, can be found in Europe, Asia, South and North America, North Africa.
Maple is a dioecious plant with small pale green flowers. The fruits of the maple tree are two "winged" seeds fused together, which disintegrate after ripening. It should be noted that maple seeds can germinate even at zero temperature, even if there is snow around. This is no longer observed in any tree. Despite the great diversity of these trees, they are all united by a wide angular-rounded shape with pointed protrusions. This form is called palmate-lobed. In autumn, the color of the leaves changes from green to bright orange, red, brown, yellow. Because of this riot of colors, maple is often referred to as an ornamental plant.
The root system of maples is superficial. It reproduces by shoots and seeds. The tree is very photophilous, the special shape of the crown and the jewelry folded leaves help to collect the maximum amount of light. Also, the tree is thermophilic and drought-resistant, in the northern regions it can suffer from severe frosts and harsh winters. Maple also has an amazingthe ability to cry. Even with a slight increase in air humidity, drops ("tears") begin to fall from the petioles of the leaves of the tree. Some types of maples will be described in more detail below.
Maple lifespan
It is believed that maple lives from two hundred to three hundred years. Many scientists claim that some species can be up to five centuries old! In our latitudes, the life expectancy of maple is about a hundred years. But if the tree grows in favorable conditions, then this figure may increase.
Holy maple
Its second name is common maple. This species is most common in our country. This is a deciduous tree with a dense, pronounced spherical crown shape. It reaches a height of twenty to thirty meters. The bark of young trees is very different from old ones. In the former, it is smooth, reddish-gray in color, and in the latter, it is rough, gray in color, indented with small cracks. The leaves of the common maple are five-lobed, wide enough (up to eighteen centimeters in diameter). The surface of the leaves is glossy. Norway maple blooms with delicate yellow-green flowers, collected in small inflorescences. This type is very useful from the point of view of ecology, as it retains benzene vapors, harmful suspensions of heavy metals, thereby purifying the air and improving the ecological situation of the surrounding area.
Factors affecting maple lifespanordinary
The life expectancy of this type of maple is 200-300 years. But rare trees reach this age. Many factors influence the life expectancy of maple: pests, diseases, and even humans. The most common pests of maple are ash shpanka, maple shooter, all kinds of herbivorous mites. On trunks and branches, the apple-tree comma-shaped shooter, acacia false scale, and willow scale parasitize. The maple bud mite damages the buds of a tree. On the trunks of maples you can often find a parasitic tinder fungus. The leaves of the tree are damaged by dark brown and red-brown spots. It is worth considering another factor that affects how much maple grows. The lifespan of a tree often depends on the individual. Since maple wood is very beautiful, with a unique pattern, it is used to make expensive furniture and finishing materials.
White maple
The second name is sycamore. This type of maple grows in the Caucasus and the Carpathians. Also found in Eastern countries and Western Europe. The tree is very slender and tall, has a dense spherical-pyramidal crown. The bark of the sycamore is grayish-brown, gradually cracking with age, and under it one can see a young, lighter one. The leaves are large, reaching a length of twenty centimeters. The shape of the leaves is heart-shaped, five-lobed. Maple blossoms in mid-late May with small yellowish flowers.
Silver Maple
This tree reaches a height of forty meters - a real giant among the maples. The annual growth is quite large - forty centimeters wide and fifty high. Therefore, it is easy to calculate how many years a maple grows in order to reach such gigantic sizes. The crown of this representative of the fauna is powerful, openwork. The branches are slightly drooping. A young maple has a light gray bark, young shoots are bright red. The leaves are large, five-lobed, strongly dissected, whitish or gray below. In autumn they become light yellow. This type of maple is moisture-loving, frost-resistant, prefers open lighted areas. Found in North America.
Manchurian Maple
This species grows in China and the Far East. The tree reaches a height of twenty meters. The crown is openwork, rounded. The bark is light gray with small cracks. The leaves are trifoliate, thin and graceful. The color of the leaves changes three times a year: in spring they are red-orange, in summer they are dark green, and in autumn they are purple-red. Maple blossoms with large lemon-yellow flowers. The plant tolerates transplanting well, as the root system is shallow.
Maple Crismon King
This type of maple is interesting with the color of the leaves. In the spring they are blood red, and in the summer they become almost black. This tree is very popular with landscape designers.
Tatar maple
Another name is black maple. The distribution area is quite wide - Western and Central Europe, Asia, Eastern Siberia, Central Russia. This species is a small tree or shrub, the height of which varies from twoup to ten meters. This tree looks very delicate - thin angular branches covered with fluff, pale gray bark. The leaves are small - five to ten centimeters in diameter, pubescent along the veins. Maple Tatar is an excellent honey plant. The tree tolerates frost well, shade-resistant and unpretentious to the soil. It is often planted in parks and squares.
Conclusion
Maple inspires artists to paint, photographers make "pilgrimages" to the autumn forest in order to stop a wonderful moment. So be sure to go to the autumn park to enjoy the unique colors. And if you have a personal plot, then plant a maple tree in your garden. The lifespan of a tree is very long, and therefore not only your children, but even grandchildren will be able to enjoy the coolness in its shady foliage in summer, and admire the outfit of this bright tree in autumn.
