MAPLE FAMILY 



NORWAY MAPLE 



Acer platanoides 



The beautiful Norway Maple standing by the curb-stone 

 is a common sight in our city streets. Its roots strike deep 

 and spread laterally, this enables it to hold its own in the 

 struggle with city environments. It comes to us from 

 Europe, its range there extending from Norway to Switzer- 

 land. The leaves have a marked resemblance to those of 

 the sugar maple, in form, but are thicker in texture and 

 darker in color. They remain upon the tree fully two weeks 

 longer than those of our native maples and become yellow 

 or fall with little change of color. The petioles are long and 

 when broken exude an acrid milky sap which quickly coag- 

 ulates. This peculiarity enables one to determine the tree 

 with little difficulty. The greenish flowers appear with the 

 leaves in a short corymbose raceme ; the fruit, also borne in 

 short racemes, is a key with widely divergent wings. 



The tree reaches the height of sixty feet, develops a broad 

 round head, and becomes strong and sturdy. Its winter 

 buds are large and red ; its branchlets at first are green, 

 later they become reddish brown and shining. 



SYCAMORE MAPLE 



A CL'r pseudo-platan its 



This most beautiful of European maples is also planted as 

 an ornamental tree, but it does not seem to take kindly to 

 our climate, failing to become either large or long-lived in 

 the United States. Its leaves resemble those of the sugar 

 maple in general form, but are much darker green in color 

 and of thicker texture. 



The green flowers appear with the leaves, are about the 

 size of a currant blossom and borne in long, drooping, com- 



82 



