Maples
What are they?
The maples are mostly a readily recognisable group of trees once learned, but some of the species can be tricky to tell apart from each other. For a long time, maples were classified in a family of their own - the Aceraceae - but more recently they have been included in a much larger family (the Sapindaceae, along with a few other familiar trees, such as the Horse Chestnuts.
Where are they found?
Our maples include both native species of woodland and hedgerow and a range of species grown as ornamental trees. They are a common feature of the countryside as well as in parks and as roadside amenity trees.
Identification
The leaves of maples are typically palmate, with a number of veins all radiating out from a common point at the base of the leaf, and are carried in opposite pairs. The flowers are variable but often quite showy and are followed by winged fruits that are wind-distributed. Most of our species can be identified quite easily simply by the leaves, but details of the winged seeds and the flowers can also help.
Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus
Introduced from mainland Europe. Abundant throughout the region, self-seeding readily and now well-established as part of the landscape, especially in urban, suburban and disturbed habitats. Flowers May to early June. A very variable tree that can reach 30m in height and form a large, stately tree in parkland habitats, but which is often smaller and more spindly in woodland or shaded environments. The hanging trusses of yellow flowers are distinctive in spring. Leaves similar to Norway Maple but with much less pointed lobes. Winter buds light green.
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Norway Maple Acer platanoides
Introduced from mainland Europe. Frequent throughout the region as a utility tree along roadsides and sometimes in forestry stands and hedgerows. Frequently self seeds. Purple or variegated forms are frequent as street trees or in churchyards, but variegated trees tend to eventually revert to green. Flowers April. The bright yellow flowers are carried in erect bundles and are very eye-catching when seen en masse in spring. Leaves similar to Sycamore but with much more pointed lobes. Winter buds reddish-purple. Wings of paired fruits strongly diverging.
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Field Maple Acer campestre
A native tree but also commonly introduced from mainland Europe and used for hedging. Very common throughout with any native distribution now masked by extensive plantings of a range of different varieties. Flowers April to May. Capable of grwoing to 25m or more as a tree but much more common as a clipped hedge. Leaves very variable in the width of their lobes due to the use of imported plants from a number of different sources. Young shoots rich orange-brown, often becoming covered in corky wings when growing in sunny sites.
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Silver Maple Acer saccharinum
Introduced from North America. Occasional as a street tree and in municipal plantings, most often as the cut-leaved variety 'Laciniata'. Flowers March to April before the leaves. A broad-crowned tree with gracefully arching to pendulous branches and craggy bark.
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Red Maple Acer rubrum
Introduced from North America. Occasional as a street tree and in municipal plantings, often as varieties selected for their bright autumn colours, for which this species is well known. Flowers March to April before the leaves. A broad-crowned tree with gracefully arching to pendulous branches and craggy bark. Similar to Silver Maple but with much less deeply cut, three to five-lobed leaves.
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| Male flowers (below) |
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Paperbark Maple Acer griseum
Introduced from China. Reported where persisting from original plantings in a handful of places in Suffolk. May also be found in churchyards or municipal plantings. Flowers May to June. A small, often multi-stemmed tree, most notable for its rich mahogany, flaking bark.
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Ash-leaf Maple Acer negundo
(Box-elder) Introduced from North America. Occasionaly used in municipal plantings as a street tree and in churchyards and parks; also sometimes on roadsides in the wider countryside. Flowers March to April, with male and female flowers on separate trees. A broadly spreading tree to 20m in height. Leaves typically trifoliate but may have up to seven (or rarely nine) leaflets per leaf.
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Smooth Japanese Maple Acer palmatum
Introduced from eastern Asia. Commonly planted in churchyards, parks and cemeteries but seldom recorded from the wider countryside. Flowers May to June. A small, spreading tree to 15m in height (but ornamental forms often much smaller). Branches thin, shiny and wiry. Trees planted in the UK are typically of one of the ornamental forms with either purple, bronze or yellow leaves and with deeply cut and toothed margins.
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