Norway maple: description, photo of tree and leaves, varieties, crown diameter, height

Norway maple is an ornamental plant that is popular among summer residents and is used in urban landscaping. Before planting a crop, you need to study its varieties and care requirements.

Description and characteristics of Norway maple

Platan-shaped, platanoleaved or Norway maple with the Latin name Acer platanoides is a plant of the Sapindaceae family, common in central Russia. It is a tree reaching an average of 12-30 m in height. The trunk diameter of the Norway maple is about 1 m when mature. The plant has a superficial root system, usually not extending beyond the crown projection.The bark on the trunk of a young maple is smooth brown-gray, while that of an old one is almost black, with interlacing longitudinal cracks.

The tree has wide, strong branches pointing upward. The leaves of the species are palm-shaped, simple, with 5-7 lobes, dark green in the upper part and lighter on the underside. The branches are arranged in opposite order.

In September, the Norway maple bears abundant fruit - double lionfish with bare, flattened seeds. Develops rapidly during the first 3-4 years.

The annual growth of young Norway maples reaches 1 m

Crown size and shape

Norway maple has a thick and dense spherical crown. It spreads up to approximately 15-20 m in diameter.

Norway maple flowering

The flowering time of Norway maple depends on the variety. But usually the tree blooms in early May, even before the leaves form or simultaneously with the appearance of the blades. Its buds are yellowish-green, collected in shields of up to 30 pieces, and fragrant. Pollination occurs mainly due to insects.

Frost resistance of Norway maple

Norway maple has high frost resistance. The tree can withstand temperatures down to -40 °C and takes root well in the Moscow region, central Russia, the Urals and Siberia. Adult specimens do not require insulation for the winter; young plants should be covered.

How long does Norway maple live?

The longevity of Norway maple is on average 150-300 years. Life expectancy largely depends on growing conditions and ecology.

Norway maple distribution

Norway maple is widespread in Western Asia and Europe. You can meet it in Finland, Karelia and Scandinavian countries, in some regions of Iran.The tree chooses mixed and broad-leaved forests for life and grows both singly and in small groups.

Applications of Norway maple

Of interest is not only the botanical description of the Norway maple, but also its properties. The leaves and bark of the plant contain many vitamins, organic acids and tannins. Based on raw materials, traditional medicine prepares useful infusions and decoctions.

Norway maple products are used:

for indigestion and diarrhea;
at high temperatures due to flu and colds;
for swelling and kidney problems;
for hair loss;
for inflammation and infectious processes.

The culture is used in agriculture. Leaves that fall in autumn are used to create compost. Trees are planted on the site to form windbreaks.

Attention! The plant is a valuable honey plant and attracts beneficial insects.

Types and varieties of Norway maple

Norway maple from the Sapindaceae family is represented by numerous varieties. Several varieties deserve special mention.

Globosum

Norway maple grows up to 6 m, has asymmetrically located branches and a spreading crown. The leaves of the tree are five-lobed, pinkish at the beginning of the season, then dark green. In autumn the plates turn yellow-orange.

The variety begins flowering in mid-May. The growth rate of Norway maple is quite high - the tree adds up to 20 cm per year. Reaches maximum height in an average of 30 years.

The Globosum variety prefers sunny areas and fertile soils

Crimson King

Norway maple reaches a maximum of 20 m in height.The leaves of the plant are black-purple throughout the season, turning purple in the fall. The crown of the variety is dense and round in shape. Flowers appear in May and seeds ripen in September. Norway maple has a neutral attitude to light - the variety is shade-tolerant, although it grows fastest in sunny areas.

It is recommended to plant the Crimson King variety on fertile sandy loam or loamy soils

Golden Globe

The low variety reaches a maximum of 6 m above the ground. The Norway maple's crown is about 5 m wide and its leaves are golden-green in summer and bright yellow with red spots in autumn.

Golden Globe is undemanding to soil, although it prefers to grow on loose, fertile and moderately moist soil. It is highly frost-resistant and rarely suffers from fungal diseases. It develops slowly, so it requires almost no pruning.

Golden Globe reacts equally poorly to drought and waterlogging

Crimson Sentry

The beautiful red maple, up to 8 m in height, has a dense but compact pyramidal crown. The leaves of the variety are dark red, small, and look bright when planted in the sun. It blooms in May, the fruits ripen by early autumn.

Crimson Sentry does not have any special care requirements, can grow on heavy soils, and can withstand short droughts. It reacts poorly to salinity and waterlogging; in damp conditions it is affected by powdery mildew.

Crimson Sentry is highly frost-resistant

Deborah

The tall variety reaches 20 m above the ground and has a wide spreading crown. The leaves consist of 5-7 lobes, after blooming they acquire a purple tint, then gradually become dark green.In autumn, the Norway maple turns yellow and looks very bright in the garden.

The Deborah variety blooms with golden fragrant buds even before the blades bloom. The tree is shade-tolerant and grows on almost any soil, except acidic sandy and swampy ones. Easily tolerates heat and short droughts.

Attention! The disadvantage of this variety is its vulnerability to fungi. Deborah often suffers from powdery mildew and black spot, and is also affected by whitefly.

The crown width of the Deborah variety reaches 15 m

Emerald Queen

The pyramidal Norway maple has initially bronze leaves that turn green in the summer and turn yellow in autumn. It rises up to 15 m above the ground, blooms in May with small flowers collected in erect corymbs. Grows in sun and light shade, develops well in slightly alkaline and slightly acidic soils.

The Emerald Queen variety tolerates unfavorable ecology well

Cleveland

A medium-sized Norway maple rises up to 15 m above the ground. It has a broadly ovate or spherical crown, the leaves of the variety are palmate, five-lobed. In April they are light green in color, darken in summer, and turn bright yellow in autumn.

Cleveland is a honey plant and has good endurance. It grows on fertile sandstones and loams, prefers neutral or slightly acidic soil.

The Cleveland variety is well suited for growing in the Moscow region

Landing rules

Norway maple in the garden should be placed in a lighted or slightly shaded place. The soil should be loose, moderately fertile, with good drainage. Slightly acidic or neutral soil is best suited for growing crops.It is forbidden to place the tree in close proximity to groundwater - in this case the roots will quickly begin to rot.

Planting is carried out in early spring or autumn 3-4 weeks before the onset of cold weather. The procedure is performed according to the following algorithm:

The area is carefully dug up and a hole is prepared that is approximately four times the size of the seedling’s root system.
A nutrient substrate is made from turf soil, sand and humus, taken in a ratio of 2:1:3.
Place broken brick or crushed stone at the bottom of the planting hole in a layer of at least 15 cm.
Fill the hole halfway with the substrate and add 150 g of nitroammophoska to it.
The seedling is lowered in the center of the hole and the roots are spread to the sides.
Fill the voids with the remains of the nutrient substrate.
The soil is pressed down, leaving the root collar a few centimeters above the ground surface.

Before planting, it is recommended to soak the Norway maple seedling in water for several hours. Immediately after moving into the ground, the plant should be watered abundantly and mulched with peat.

Attention! When planting several trees, it is necessary to leave 2.5-3 m of free space between them.

Norway maple care

The Norway maple on the site does not require complex care. When growing, you need to pay attention to several points:

Watering. Immediately after planting, the seedlings need to be watered every few days, preventing the soil from drying out. With further care, the maple is moistened weekly in dry, hot weather and once a month in spring and autumn in the presence of precipitation. One plant uses 2-4 buckets of lukewarm, settled water.
Loosening. The wet soil at the roots of the Norway maple needs to be regularly weeded and raked.The procedure helps prevent the formation of a hard crust that impairs oxygen access.
Feeding. For the first time, the plant on the site is fertilized in the second year after planting. In the spring, rotted manure is scattered in the tree trunk circle, and complex mineral fertilizers are used from late spring to summer. With the onset of autumn, they stop applying fertilizers.
Trimming. The plant maintains a neat spherical crown shape well. Pruning for Norway maple is carried out mainly for sanitary reasons. In autumn and spring, before the start of active growing season, remove all dry, broken, diseased and frozen shoots, and also get rid of root growth. In order to preserve decorativeness, branches that grow inside the crown or stick out to the sides are shortened.

The high winter hardiness of Norway maple makes it possible to practically not insulate it with the onset of autumn. It is only necessary to wrap the trunk with burlap before the cold weather to protect the tree from severe frosts and garden rodents. After the snow falls, a snowdrift is formed at the base of the plant.

It is recommended to insulate the root area of young Norway maples with spruce branches.

Reproduction

Norway maple can be propagated on a site in several ways:

Seeds. The material is sown directly into the ground in the fall shortly before the cold weather. During the winter, the seeds undergo stratification in the soil, and in the spring they quickly sprout. In addition, they practice sowing material for seedlings at home. In this case, the seeds are first placed in the refrigerator for a week for hardening.
Root suckers. If the Norway maple produces abundant growth, you can make several cuts on powerful healthy shoots at the base of the trunk, and then treat them with a growth stimulator and hill them high.During the summer, the tree is watered moderately and fed with organic matter and minerals. The next year, the rooted offspring are separated from the main plant and transplanted to a new location.
Air layering. Several neat cuts are made on a strong young branch and treated with Kornevin or Heteroauxin. After this, several clean grains of foam are inserted into the cuts so that the edges do not close. The cuts are covered with damp sphagnum moss and loosely wrapped in a plastic bag, which is covered with canvas or foil on top. Throughout the season, the substrate on the branch is regularly moistened. The following spring, the shoot is carefully separated from the tree, freed from polyethylene and planted in a prepared hole along with moss.

Vegetative propagation is used to increase the population of rare varieties. All manipulations are carried out with healthy, strong plants older than 4-5 years.

Diseases and pests

Norway maple on a trunk rarely suffers from illnesses with good care. But sometimes he is amazed:

coral spotting - due to the disease, leaves wither and branches die, reddish or pink spore-bearing pads appear in the thickness of the bark;
Coral spot often affects maples in waterlogged conditions.
leaf weevil - a small bug up to 5 mm long appears on the plant in May, feeds on pedicels and prevents the formation of seeds.
The weevil leaves small holes on maple leaves and impairs the decorative effect

For symptoms of fungal diseases, Norway maple is sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. All affected shoots are removed, and the sections are treated with garden varnish. For insect attacks, the drugs Ammophos and Nitrafen are used.Spraying is carried out several times a season from the moment the buds swell until autumn.

Attention! In order to prevent diseases, it is necessary to monitor the cleanliness of the trunk circle of the Norway maple and use only sterile tools for pruning.

Norway maple in landscape design

Decorative varieties of Norway maple are distinguished by their compact size, fast growth and good hardiness. Wood is actively used in landscape design. Most often, the plant is used to form alleys that decorate the area and provide cool shade in the summer heat.

When planting Norway maple on a site, you need to ensure that there is at least 5 m of free space left before fences and facades.

Low varieties are planted on crumbling slopes. The Norway maple root system prevents further soil erosion. Low-growing varieties with rapid growth form dense hedges.

Conclusion

Norway maple is a spectacular, hardy and undemanding ornamental plant. Compact varieties of crops can be planted even in small summer cottages.

Reviews about Norway maple

Lisichkina Marina Danilovna, Voronezh

I planted a Norway maple in my dacha seven years ago. Now the tree has grown well and decorates the corner of the plot next to the house. It looks very beautiful in the fall, before the cold weather it covers the soil with a solid yellow carpet. It is easy to care for the tree; it does not require special care.

Kruglova Svetlana Vladimirovna, Yaroslavl

I have been growing Norway maple near my house for several years; the tree is very unpretentious and hardy. Care is simple and boils down to watering during severe drought and occasional fertilizing. Otherwise, the crop develops on its own, does not get sick, and does not require frequent pruning.