This beautiful deciduous tree reaches up to 21 meters in height, and its width is sometimes 90 cm, but the usual options are 30-60 cm. The crown of the tree is uneven. The trunk is short and at the base is sometimes divided into long, sprawling, often curved processes, diverging in different directions unevenly, creating a spasmodic crown. If the American maple grows among other trees, its trunk branches higher. It turns out a rare and high crown.
American maple grows very quickly in youth, so it is widely used for landscaping. In addition, it is frost-resistant and can withstand up to minus 40 degrees. A tree loves sunlight, but it is not particularly demanding on soil. Feels great in urban areas. American maple lives no more than 80-100 years, which is not very long for a tree, and even less in street planting - up to 30 years.
Wood is very fragile. The speed of growth, ease of reproduction and unpretentiousness gave it distribution among the people. Nevertheless, low decorative qualities and fragility allow it to be used as a temporary breed to achieve a quick landscaping effect. It can be combined in linear and group plantings with highly decorative rocks that grow more slowly.
Maple leaves, photos of which you can see, are opposite, complex, pinnate. They have from 3 to 7 leaflets 15-18 cm long. They are light green in the upper part, and in the lower part they are pale silver-white, smooth to the touch. In shape, maple leaves are somewhat reminiscent of ash leaves. Their shapes vary, but the individual leaves are well reminiscent of a classic maple leaf. In the fall, they gain yellow.
American maple is found in natural conditions in tugai forests, as well as in the swampy territories of Canada and the USA. In the north-eastern part, the range is limited to the states of New York and New Jersey, and the north-western part is the southern regions of the Canadian province of Ontario. In the southwest it is central Texas, and the southeast is the central part of Florida. Still, individual populations can be found in California, Mexico, the Midwest, and Guatemala.
American maple is unpretentious to soil conditions, but grows better on fresh fertile soils, especially if the place is well-lit. It is mobile and very active, has a high growth rate, and is well resistant to air pollution . In the vicinity of cities and towns, self-seeding can spread, however, it is soon introduced into natural communities, becoming a weed. Already at the age of 6-7 years, the tree enters the fruiting stage, so that generational change is faster than other trees.
The light, soft, fragile and fine-grained wood that the American maple possesses is rarely used. It is mainly used to make wooden containers, household items, and cheap furniture.
In the world there are so many varieties of maples. They are very different. For example, sugar maple grows much slower than American maple, and is more durable, it does not feel well in the city, and its wood is much harder.