Characteristic features in a nutshell - profile in detail
The sycamore maple is a familiar sight for hikers in the low mountain ranges and the Alps, because the mighty tree is very comfortable in a damp and cool climate. Hills, ravine forests and plains are shared by beech, ash, elm and other deciduous trees. Its magnificent shape prompts garden architects and private park owners to relocate the sycamore maple. So it is hardly surprising that it is the most common type of maple in Central Europe. The following profile summarizes other special features:
- Name: sycamore maple, sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus)
- Family: Horse chestnut family (Hippocastanoideae)
- Growth: deciduous deciduous tree with a rounded crown and emerging branches
- Height: 15 to 30 m, rarely up to 40 m
- Crown width: 10 to 15 m, rarely up to 20 m
- Trunk diameter: 100 to 200 cm
- Annual growth: 40 to 80 cm
- Leaf shape: five-lobed, dark green, gray-green underneath 16-20 cm long, serrated leaf edge
- Flowers: inconspicuous yellow-green panicle flowers in May
- Fruits: winged nuts with tiny propellers
- Age: 400 to 500 years
also read
- Silver maple fact sheet - source of maple syrup
- A portrait of the field maple - an informative profile
- A portrait of the black pine - an informative profile
The special beauty of its yellow-green spring bloom does not lie in its aesthetic effect. Rather, it is their magical attraction to butterflies, Bumblebees, Beetles and other insects that make the sycamore maple an ecological gem. Wild bee species that have become rare, such as the red-furry sand bee or the horned mason bee, feast on the nectar.
Poisonous seeds
One of the negative peculiarities is the toxicity of the Seeds. When the winged nuts float through the air with their propellers, it is particularly alarming among horse owners. The seeds contain a toxin that can kill horses and donkeys even in small quantities. Scientists assume that humans are not immune from harmful consequences after consumption.
No symbiosis with mushrooms
In contrast to numerous other tree species, a sycamore maple does not enter into a symbiosis with fungi with the aim of improving the supply of nutrients. Instead, an Acer pseudoplatanus provides enough fertilizer on its own with its leaves. One of the special features of its leaves is that they quickly become valuable after the leaves have fallen humus transform.
Tree of the year 2009
Every year in October, under the patronage of the current Federal Environment Minister in Germany, a tree species is named "Tree of the Year". After the Norway maple started among the maple species, the sycamore maple continued the honorable list in 2009, followed by the field maple in 2015.
The aim of this honor is to draw people's attention to the specifics of each Title bearer to steer. Important criteria for the selection are the degree of threat, rarity and ecological importance.
Tips
We shouldn't tackle a natural beauty like the sycamore maple with scissors and saws. It turns out to be an extensive one Cut back as inevitable, the time window is open from October to December. Cut back individual shoots in June / July when the flow of sap has come to rest.
