What do maple leaves look like? An analysis of maple leaf shape characteristics
Maple is a common name for trees of the genus Acer, tall trees in the family Aceraceae, genus Acer, with brilliant colors and distinctive forms. In China, the ornamental value of the red leaves of maple trees was recognized as early as ancient times, and literati and writers of successive dynasties favored maple leaves, with poems and prose praising and depicting them appearing frequently. Let us take a look below at what maple leaves look like!
What do maple leaves look like?
Maple leaves look like palms. Among the many red-leaf tree species in the world, the autumn leaves of maple trees are unique. The tree form is graceful, the leaf shape is elegant, and in autumn the leaves gradually turn red or yellow, as well as cyan and purple. They can be used as shade trees, street trees, or companion trees in landscape gardens. When arranged with other autumn-color trees or evergreen trees, they set each other off and enhance the beauty of the autumn scenery's colors.
When do maple leaves turn red?
Maple leaves turn red in autumn. Maple leaves turn red in autumn because falling temperatures cause the green pigment in maple leaves to turn red. In northern China, autumn runs from August to October, and true autumn generally begins after September, so maple leaves generally do not turn red until around September and October. In southern China, the cold comes later, so maple leaves turn red relatively later.
What varieties of maple trees are there?
1. Acer truncatum: a deciduous tree, 8-10 m tall, flowering in April, fruiting in August, produced in Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, northern Jiangsu (areas north of Xuzhou), Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu and other places.
2. Acer palmatum: a small deciduous tree, bark dark gray, flowering in May, fruiting in September, produced in Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangxi, Guizhou and other places, and also distributed in Korea and Japan.
3. Acer ginnala: a deciduous shrub or small tree, 5-6 m tall, flowering in May, fruiting in October, produced in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Mongolia and other places.
4. Acer griseum: a deciduous tree, 10-20 m tall, flowering in April, fruiting in September, produced in southwestern Henan, southern Shaanxi, southeastern Gansu, western Hubei and eastern Sichuan and other places.
5. Acer henryi: a deciduous tree, about 10 m tall, flowering in April, fruiting in September, produced in southern Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou and other places.
6. Acer laevigatum: an evergreen tree, usually 10 m tall, flowering in April, fruiting in August-September, produced in southern Shaanxi, western Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan and other places, and also distributed in Nepal, Sikkim and northern India, and Myanmar.