Stats

Lifespan: Up to 250 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate broadleaf forest
Range: Europe and western Asia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

The Norway maple is one of the most widely planted street trees in temperate cities, prized for its dense shade and tough urban tolerance. Its milky sap — unlike the clear sap of native maples — is a quick field identifier, and its broadly spreading samaras can carry seeds far enough to make it invasive well outside its native European range.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Sapindales
Family: Sapindaceae
Genus: Acer
Species: Acer platanoides