What is the latest information on maple trees? A complete guide in one article
Maple trees belong to the Acer genus in the Aceraceae family, and are the common name for some species of maple. There are 199 species of Aceraceae plants worldwide, and many plants in the Acer genus are world-famous ornamental trees, distributed in Asia, Europe, North America and the northern edge of Africa. China is also the country with the most maple species in the world, with 151 species at present, distributed throughout the country, mainly produced in the Yangtze River basin and the provinces and regions to its south, and is the modern distribution center of the world's maples.
Most maple trees are tall trees, reaching 24 m in height, with a crown spread of up to 16 m, flowering from April to May and fruiting from September to October. As the tree ages, the crown gradually opens into a rounded shape. The branches are brownish red to brown, with small pores, and in winter the branches are blackish brown or gray. Maple leaves are brilliantly colored and elegantly shaped, and can be made into bookmarks, specimens and so on; in autumn they turn fiery red, and when they fall to the ground they become deep red.
Maple leaves are opposite, with a leaf rachis 9-17 cm long, pale grayish brown, hairless, with 3 leaflets, rarely 5, papery, oblong-elliptic or long-ovate, 8-10 cm long and 3.5-4.5 cm wide, the apex long acuminate, the base broadly cuneate, the margin slightly revolute, serrate, the upper surface dark green and hairless, the lower surface lighter in color, with sparse white fine pubescence in the vein axils toward the base (on both sides of the midvein), otherwise hairless, the midvein obvious on both surfaces, lateral veins 6-7, obvious on both surfaces together with the reticulate veins, the lateral leaflet stalk length [text corrupted], the middle leaflet stalk 2.5-3.5 cm long.
The maple's raceme is axillary, with many flowers, the small flower stalks 9-15 mm long, with small stipules, the stipules linear, the flowers 9-12 mm long, the calyx 5, linear-triangular, 7-9 mm long, about 9 mm wide at the base, hairless on both surfaces or sparsely pubescent at the outer base, the petals 5, inserted on the edge of the disk, spatulate, about 9 mm long, hairless on both surfaces, the stamens 5, opposite the petals, inserted at the inner base of the petals, the filaments about 7 mm long, hairless at the base, the anthers about 2 mm long, the styles 3, about 7 mm long (including the ovary), very sparsely white pubescent at the base, the stigma capitate, the ovary 1-locular, with many ovules.
Maple trees have many species and cultivars and their habits are not all the same, so in garden applications reasonable cultivation should be adopted according to the suitable environment of each place. For example, species whose new leaves in spring are red or yellow should generally be planted in a relatively shady, moist and fertile place, so as to avoid direct sunlight and leaf shriveling, while those with red leaves in autumn should have sufficient sunshine. They grow well in full sun and are suited to full shade and moist to dry, well-drained soil. They require a soil pH of less than 7.0 (acidic). They can tolerate clay and acidic soil.