Maple

Maple is a forest tree that can reach a height of up to 35 meters. It is widespread in central, western and southern Europe, the Caucasus and the northern part of Asia Minor, most commonly in mountainous areas.

Its crown is broadly rounded. The trunk can exceed 1 meter in diameter, is usually short, and is covered with reddish-brown bark that peels off in plates.

Young twigs are usually olive-brown, with numerous pale lenticels. The buds are relatively large, light green and covered with rounded scales.

The leaves are 8–16 cm long and wide, five-lobed, dark green on the upper side and somewhat lighter underneath.

The leaves have rounded triangular lobes with coarse but fairly even serration. The leaf stalk is green, sometimes reddish, and may be as long as or longer than the leaf blade.

The flowers are yellowish-green, grouped in short hanging panicles. It flowers around ten days after leafing out, in May.

The fruits are paired winged seeds, usually positioned at a right angle.

Sycamore maple is characteristic of beech and mixed forests, outside floodplain areas, and thrives best in mineral-rich, moderately moist, loose and humus-rich soils.