Norway maple

Description

Norway Maple
Kingdom:	Plantae
Phylum:	Tracheophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Sapindacaea
Genus:	Acer L.
Species:	Acer Platanoides L.

The Norway Maple is a species of maple tree native to central and Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It was later introduced to North America in the 1700s as a shade tree [1]. The tree grows from 60-100ft tall with a trunk up to 5ft in diameter. The bark is typically brownish grey with shallow grooves. Unlike many other species of maple trees, Norway Maples do not develop a shaggy bark as they mature. The leaves are deep green in summer months with 5 lobes, the lobes each have 3 side teeth [1]. In autumn the leaves turn a vibrant yellow color. The seeds of a Norway Maple are flat with two wings on opposite sides. The tree typically produces a large number of these seeds during breeding season and they are spread far and wide quite easily in the wind [2]. In its native habitat, the Norway Maple can live anywhere from 150-250 years, however in the United States the tree rarely reaches 100 years. This is because the tree is commonly planted along streets, leaving little room for the trees shallow root system to spread. The shallow roots of the tree also make it incredibly invasive as it can out-compete native Eastern United States tree species by up-taking nutrients much faster [3].