Scientific classification
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Sapindaceae |
| Genus: | Acer |
| Section: | Acer sect. Ginnala |
| Species: |
A. tataricum
|
Characteristics
Acer tataricum is a deciduous shrub or tree from the Sapindaceae family. It grows to 10 m in height, forming an irregularly branched canopy. The root system is well developed. The trunk is up to 90 cm in diameter, the bark is light brown, thin, initially long smooth, later becoming shallow longitudinally cracked. Buds are small, up to 3 mm long, burgundy, ovoid. Leaves opposite, simple, ovoid, 5-10 cm long, 3-7 cm wide, rounded at the base, shortly tapered at the edges, irregularly serrated, dark green and naked on the face, lighter on the face, reddish on the eye 2-5 cm long petioles. The flowers are monoecious, white-yellow, clustered in erect, about 5-10 cm long petiole inflorescences, and grow on the tips of branches. They bloom after leafing in May and June. The fruits are feathers of 2-3 cm long, red in color, ripening in autumn.
Habitat – Range
It is widespread in Central and Southeastern Europe, and in Southwest Asia. It grows in forests from lowlands to hilly areas. The soil is moist and fertile. Propagation is by seed or vegetative. It is planted as an ornamental tree. It is resistant to drought, to low temperatures up to -40 ° C, and to urban pollution, with no specific requirements regarding soil type. Suitable for sunny or semi-shady habitat.
Uses
It is a very good honey plant; bees collect a lot of nectar and pollen. The daily yield can be up to 6 kg per hive, per 1 ha of land for a total of 300 kg of honey. Maple honey is dark in color and aromatic.
Etymology
The Latin name for the genus Acer is the old Latin name for maple, meaning sharp, pointed, because of the leaves of pointed lobes. The name of the species tataricum is given to the Tatars, a people in southern Russia.
Related posts:
Acer obtusatum, Acer saccharum
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_tataricum
Photos:
https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Sapindaceae/acer-tataricum-ha-pnw.jpg