How to Identify a Norway Maple Leaf
Norway maple is the common name for deciduous trees (trees that shed their leaves seasonally) belonging to the maple genus Acer and the species platanoides. Although the Norway maple is native to Europe, they are also commonly found as shade and street trees throughout the Eastern United States. The leaves of Norway maple trees share numerous features with other maples, but they also have particular characteristics distinguishing them from other members of the genus Acer. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
-
-
1
Norway maple leaves have between five and seven lobes and are broad and short. Like most maple trees, Norway maples have what botanists refer to as simple leaves, meaning each stem has only one leaf attached to it, with multiple toothed lobes, which are pointed segments of the leaf separated from one another by u-shaped grooves known as sinuses. Norway maple leaves have between five and seven lobes, and according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the fact that the leaves are wider than they are long is one of the best ways to distinguish Norway maple leaves from other maples.
-
2
During the summer months, the leaves of the Norway maple are dark green and easily mistaken for other maples. In the fall, however, Norway maples stand out by remaining green longer than other maple species (into early November, according to the Pennsylvania DCNR), then turning bright yellow.
-
-
3
The single most distinct feature of Norway maple leaves is their milky sap. This characteristic is not found in any other large maples. Freshly snapped twigs and leaf stems, as well as recently torn leaves, exude the distinctive sap, although this feature may be less striking in the fall.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit maple leaves image by Vladimirs Koskins from Fotolia.com maple leaf image by Albo from Fotolia.com
