Elegant maple (Acer elegantulum) profile

Elegant Maple, Acer elegantulum, is a deciduous tree up to 20m, palmately 5-lobed, lobes wide, apically caudate-acute, lobes no longer 3-lobed, base often heart-shaped, lowest 2 lobes not spreading downward, but sometimes 7 lobed by 2 lobes. The fruit wings are longer, 1.5~2 times as long as the stone.

Elegant maple picture

Elegant maple morphological characteristics

Branch

Elegant Maple is a deciduous tree, 9-15 m tall. The bark is rough and dark brown. Branchlets are cylindrical, glabrous, current shoots light purplish green, 2 mm in diam., perennial branches dark purple.

Leaf

Elegant maple leaf is thin paper or paper, base deep cardioid or close to the heart shape, width greater than the length of the blade, 7 -- 10 cm wide, 5.5 8 cm long, usually 5-lobed, central lobe and side lobes ovate or triangular ovate, 2.5 3.5 cm long, base of nearly 2.5 3 cm wide, apex short sharp sharp, pointed tail 8-10 mm long, base of lobes smaller, margin appressed fine crenate, lobes between concave sharp pointed, the green, after dried lavender green, glabrous, below virescent, in addition to the vein axils are yellow fur the rest glabrous; 5 primary veins, both sides are significant; Secondary veins of Elegant maple are 10-11 pairs, branched from primary veins at an Angle of about 80 degrees, more pronounced below than above, veins only slightly pronounced, petioles 2-4 cm long, lavender-green, glabrous.

Flowers

Inflorescences of Elegant maple are paniculate, light green at first, glabrous, 7 -- 8 cm, pedicels 1 -- 1.2 cm long, pedicels 2 -- 3 cm long. Flowers are mixed, male and bisexual, sepals 5, green, oblong-ovate or oblong-elliptic, 3 mm long, glabrous; Elegant maple has 5 petals, dark green, obovate or oblong obovate, and sepals nearly equal; Stamens are 89 2 times longer than petals, filaments glabrous, anthers pale yellow; Disk of Elegant maple is lateral to stamen; Ovary is purple, densely yellowish pubescent, style 3 mm long, glabrous, 2-lobed, stigma spreading.

Fruit

Elegant maple samaras are pale purple when young, pale yellow when ripe, nutlets raised nearly spherical, 6 mm in diameter, wings spread nearly horizontal, widest in middle, often up to 1 cm, 2-2.3 cm long with nutlets.

Elegant maple's ecological habits

Elegant Maple was born in open forest at an altitude of 700-1000 m. 

Elegant Maple belongs to temperate tree, light loving, shade tolerant, warm, cool and humid climate, not strict to soil, can grow on neutral, acid and calcareous soil, but grows best on deep, fertile and wet soil, and grows poorly on yellow clay.Medium growth speed, deep root, strong wind resistance.

Elegant maple disease & pest control

The main diseases of Elegant Maple are blight and paint leaf spot, and the main pests of Elegant Maple are Anoplophora glabripennis and Anoplophora glabripennis.

Disease control

To prevent and control blight, when the seedlings are all out, the roots should be irrigated with 800 to 1000 times liquid Likujing or the tree body should be sprayed 3 times.

For the prevention and control of lacquer leaf spot, spray Bordeaux solution once or twice at the initial stage of disease, or spray 65% desenzine solution 0.2% to 0.25% to the tree crown, collect the disinfected fruit and leaves and dispose them (bury them in the soil or burn them) in autumn.

Pest control

For the control of Anoplophora glabripennis and Anoplophora glabripennis, insecticide was injected into the worm channel during the larval active stage, and the defecation hole with fresh insect feces was plugged with cotton or poison swabb, and 150 times solution was injected into the defecation hole above the hole.During the active period of longicorn beetles in July and August, the trees were sprayed with 5% cyanogen bromide microcapsules 2000 times liquid or the adult beetles were killed artificially.

Elegant maple's distribution region

Elegant Maple is produced in northwest Zhejiang, south Anhui and Jiangxi.

Elegant Maple is also distributed in Korea and Japan.In many places in North China called "five maple" is often yuan bao maple, should pay attention to the difference.  

Elegant maple uses

Ornamental value

Elegant Maple's autumn leaves are bright yellow or red, suitable for shade trees, street trees and landscape trees.

The economic value

Elegant Maple is a good fireproof tree.Its moisture content is 4.93%, lignin content is 27.2%, calorific value is 19213J/g. The determination of moisture content of Elegant Maple raw material shows that Elegant Maple has high moisture content, low oil content, and is not easy to ignite and burn. In addition, Elegant Maple leaves decompose quickly, which is beneficial to reduce the fuel load in the forest quickly and change the fire environment. Therefore, Elegant Maple is an ideal fireproof tree to prevent the spread of forest fire.