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Maple tree Facts

Maple tree Facts
Maple tree is plant that belongs to the family Aceraceae. There are 128 species and couple of thousand varieties of maples that can be found mostly on the northern hemisphere. Fossil evidences indicate that maples exist on the planet at least 100 million years. Certain species of maples vanished during the ice age. These plants are cultivated because of their ornamental morphology, production of maple syrup and commercial application of the wood. Unfortunately, out of 128 species, 54 are faced with uncertain future due to habitat loss.
Interesting Maple tree Facts:
Size of maple tree depends on the species. Some types of maple can be grown as bonsai, while other can reach the height of 145 feet.
Maple tree has brown bark that is smooth in young plants and rough in older plants. Dense and fibrous root system prevents growth of the nearby plants.
Leaves are divided in 3 to 9 lobes. They are oppositely arranged on the branches. Leaves change color from green to different shades of yellow, orange and red during the autumn.
Flowers of maple tree can be green, yellow, orange or red in color. Individual male and female flowers are grouped in inflorescence. Insects (such as honeybees) are main pollinators of the flowers.
Maple produces winged seed which moves like a helicopter when it falls from the trees.
Maple syrup is best known product of the maple tree. It is produced by boiling of tree sap. Maple tree needs to reach the age of 30 years to become suitable for sap extraction.
It takes 40-50 gallons of tree sap for the production of one gallon of syrup. People extract small quantities of sap (10%) from the individual maple trees. This practice does not affect growth and health of trees.
Maple syrup is rich in sugar, but it also contains vitamins and minerals in traces. It can be used as a substitute for sugar. More common, maple syrup is used as a dressing for pancakes and other desserts.
Wood of maple is used in the industry of music instruments for the production of violins, viola, guitars and drums.
Different types of furniture, baseball bats, bowling pins and butcher’s blocks are often made of maple trees.
Dried wood of maple tree can be used for smoking of food, while charcoal made of maple tree plays significant role in the manufacture of Tennessee Whiskey.
Maple tree is also used in the paper industry. Paper made of maple tree has excellent printing properties.
People in Japan like to watch delicate changes in the color of the foliage during the autumn. Collective watching of maples in the autumn is known as “momijigari” in Japan.
Leaf of maple tree is incorporated in the flag of Canada.
Maple tree can survive more than 300 years under appropriate climate conditions.


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