Planting maple trees with spreading branches in parks and gardens is a common thing. Very little time has passed, and we already consider this species to be almost indigenous. Maples adorn alleys, roadside lanes. They are planted in schools, kindergartens and other cultural and administrative institutions. Some time ago, few people thought about the dangers of this tree. His beauty was striking, especially in the fall. What kind of tree is ash-leaved maple? What is its benefit and harm to the environment and humans? Where is the species common? The answers to these questions are given in the article.
Historical information
Maple was introduced to Europe at the end of the 17th century. He came to our country only a century later. Mature trees adorned the Botanical Garden in St. Petersburg. We brought samples from the southern regions of the natural range of maple growth. In this regard, there were unsuccessful attempts to grow a foreign plant in the Russian climate, and even in the open ground. A lot of time passed and tremendous work was expended before the breeders brought the ash-leaved maple. It was successfully grown in various regions of our country. This tree appealed to people.
Ash Maple: Description
This tree has wind resistance and is well adapted to the conditions of the city. It has another name - American maple, probably because its homeland is North America. The plant is unpretentious, grows on almost any soil, but prefers fertile soil. Refers to deciduous plants, the average height reaches 15 m, but can grow up to 21. The trunk in girth is 30-60 cm, but this figure can be even larger, giants reach 90 cm in diameter. The trunk at the base is often divided into several processes, they are sprawling and long, with a curved shape.
Around the trunk, the branches are unevenly placed, which makes the crown seem “disheveled”. If the maple grows in plantings with other trees, it begins to branch not at the base, but higher. In this case, the crown is formed in a different way: it becomes high and rare.
The bark has a gray or light brown color, its thickness is small. Shallow grooves intersecting each other are visible across the entire surface. Green or crimson branches have medium strength, they have patterns in the form of leaf scars and are covered with a grayish-green fluff. The buds are fluffy, pressed, white.
Flower characteristic
Maple is yellow-green in color, of two types: male and female. The first form inflorescences in the form of hanging bunches with anthers of a reddish hue. Attached to the stems with thin stalks. Female-type inflorescences are painted green and have the shape of a brush. Maple is a dioecious plant on which both flowers come together, but they are located on different branches. Maple flowering is average in duration (about half a month), occurring in the month of May - beginning of June, that is, until the first leaves appear.
Fetal features
The fruit of the American maple is called lionfish, which is fully consistent with its structure. Indeed, the seed is between two wings. One to the other is located at an angle that is 60 degrees or slightly less. The length of each wing is four centimeters. Fruit ripening begins in August and ends in October, but they do not fly around and hang on branches until spring. Seeds do not have endosperm, their length is greater than the width of about two to three times.
What are maple leaves
They have a complex structure. Ash-leaved maple leaves (photo presented for review) are opposite, unpaired. They consist of three, five or seven leaves. In rare cases, there are 9, 11 or 13 of them. The length of each leaflet is 15-18 cm. From above, they are light green, from below - they are painted in a pale silver-white color, and are smooth to the touch. Attached to the branches by means of long petioles, the size of which is eight centimeters. In shape resemble an ash leaf. This determined the Russian name of the species. The edges of the leaves can be lobed or rough-serrated with a pointed apex. The leaves of maple ash in the fall become yellow or red. Like all the trees of this season, they look very beautiful.
Spread
The natural habitat of maple ash is northeastern USA. But in the form of separate foci it is found in the central and southern states of the country. Secondary distribution areas are such states as Washington, Maine, Oregon, the territory of Canada, the Far East, and Central Asia. In our country in an uncultured form it is found in Central Russia and Siberia. It can be found in tugai forests, growing on the undisturbed banks of rivers, in deciduous and coniferous woodlands, which differ in very moist soil and even in swamps. It grows in the neighborhood of pine, spruce, oak, ash, willows and poplars. The ubiquity of the species is explained by the fact that the ash-leaved maple calmly tolerates a lack of moisture and nutrients in the soil.
How is used
American ash-leaved maple grows very quickly, so it is often used for fast gardening of a certain part of the territory. City streets, alleys and parks adorn the tree. But this plant has disadvantages:
- Short life: approximately 30 years in the city, up to 100 years in the wild.
- Brittle stems. The cause of the damage can be adverse weather events: hail, rain, wind.
- The rapid development of shoots coming from the roots, which leads to the destruction of asphalt.
- A lot of pollen during flowering, causing allergies in humans.
- The crown is large - this is the reason for the shading of the streets, the reproduction of a large number of insects, including ticks.
- Roots and leaves during decomposition are able to secrete toxins that inhibit the development of nearby plants.
In fact, ash-tree maple is not of great decorative value. The plant has a powerful crown, which becomes very picturesque in the fall, when the leaves are painted in different shades: green, reddish, yellow. In the design of the landscape, the plant is used infrequently, since the trunk of a maple is short, it is curved. Branches strongly, but the stems are brittle, brittle. This tree is not one of the plants from which hedges are created. Most often it is used when it is necessary to plant a green area at a fast pace, and even then not in isolated plantings, but next to rocks that grow slowly, but have high decorativeness.
Maple wood does not differ in strength, therefore it is used for the manufacture of containers and household items. In the lower wide part of the trunk and on the growths has an unusual pattern. It is of great interest to the masters in their work: they carve various sculptures, arms, vases.
With the onset of spring, there is a plentiful allocation of juice, sweet in taste. Some countries, such as North America, use maple as a sugar plant. The tree is very fond of birds, which in a dense crown equip their nests, and in the autumn season they regale with its seeds.
The plant does not have high decorative qualities, but has a different value - breeding. Scientists use it to create new forms of trees and shrubs. So the maple ash leaf Flamingo is bred. In decorative terms, this plant is of great importance.
Maple flamingo
This variety of culture is easily recognizable by its leaves and crown. The natural habitat is North America. It is a low tree or shrub with many trunks. It reaches a height of five to eight meters. The shape of the crown is round, its diameter reaches four meters, it seems openwork. This is a very beautiful tree, they are decorated with gardens, squares, streets of cities and towns. Decorativeness is maintained throughout the entire period of life. Ash-leaved maple Flamingo is a dioecious plant. Like other varieties, on one tree, but only on different branches, both male and female flowers are located. They are small and with a greenish tint. The fruits have a gray color and the shape of lionfish.
Flamingo leaves
Unpaired pinnate leaves reach 10 cm in length. Such leaves are called complex. They include individual leaflets on short petioles, three to five centimeters long. Color changes during the growing season:
- Young shoots have silver-gray leaves.
- In the summer, the plates are bordered in white and pink; spots of the same color appear on them, which are distributed randomly.
- By autumn, the leaves turn bright or dark pink, greenish stripes appear on the surface.
Ashen Maple: Environmental Disaster
Currently, this species is widespread. Having “left” the squares and parks where it was planted by a man for landscaping, the maple has invaded, moreover, successfully, into the native flora. In the landscaping of city streets and courtyards, according to research, most of the trees are maples, which are cultivated weeds of a tree type for cultural conditions. Where these trees grow, willows and poplars stop their regeneration. Ash maple causes severe allergies in humans. Under the canopy of its lush crown there is a slow extinction of trees and shrubs of other species, especially if they are small.
But why did the species spread so swiftly? This is explained very simply: maple is undemanding to growing conditions, and also grows rapidly, does not respond to environmental pollution. When invading another territory, maple is particularly aggressive. This is because seed reproduction is spontaneous. Propagation is carried out by self-seeding: first to disturbed places, then to natural communities. It settles quickly due to the early stage of fruiting (six to seven years) and the rapid change of generations.
