Клён белокорый (Acer leucoderme): описание и особенности

Species of maple

Acer leucoderme (English: chalk maple; also whitebark maple, pale bark maple and sugar maple) is a deciduous tree native to the southeastern United States from North Carolina south to northwest Florida and west to eastern Texas. It lives in the understory in moist, rocky soils on river banks, ravines, woods, and cliffs. Although generally an uncommon tree, it is most often found in the inner coastal plain and Piedmont regions of Georgia.

Chalk maple is a small tree, reaching 8–9 m in height and develops a round form with slender branches, and often with multiple trunks. The name "chalk maple" (in addition to the Latin name, meaning "white skin") comes from the attractive smooth and thin chalky white or light gray bark on mature trees. The bark becomes ridged and blackish at the base as it ages. The leaves are opposite and simple, 5–9 cm long and broad, often drooping at the tip. They have 5 or 3 long pointed lobes with wavy or coarsely toothed edges. They are dark green and hairless above, with a yellow green and softly pubescent underside. In autumn, the leaves turn from a brilliant yellow to orange to deep red. The fruit is a paired brown samara, 2 2.5 cm long, maturing in autumn. Acer leucoderme is often confused with Acer floridanum (Florida maple), but there are several differences. A. leucoderme is smaller in size but has larger leaves than Florida maple. The leaves of A. leucoderme are yellow green underneath rather than the whitish underside of Florida maple. The lobes on the leaves of Florida maple are squarer and blunter than those of A. leucoderme. Some botanists classify A. leucoderme as a subspecies of the sugar maple: A. saccharum subsp. leucoderme

John Kunkel Small first recognized Acer leucoderme as a distinct species in 1895, observing it along the Yadkin River in Stanly County, North Carolina and the Yellow River in Gwinnett County, Georgia. and Yves Desmarais described the species in 1952 as Acer saccharum subsp. leucoderme (Small) Desmarais. Francis Raymond Fosberg used the synonym Acer nigrum var. leucoderme (Small) Fosberg.

Acer leucoderme can be found from North Carolina south into Florida and west to Texas.

Acer leucoderme is well suited for the warmer and drier climates of the upland regions of the southeastern United States. Because A. leucoderme does not require rich soil in which to grow, it can be a viable option for planting in urban environments.

A member of the Aceraceae (maple) family, Acer leucoderme can be most easily differentiated from its closest cousin, Acer floridanum (Florida maple or Southern sugar maple), by its leaves and size. The leaves of the chalk maple are generally smaller, 5 8 cm across, with 3 to 5 lobes, whereas the leaves of the Florida maple are larger, up to 11 cm. The leaves of A. leucoderme are yellow green underneath rather than the whitish underside of Florida maple. The lobes on the leaves of Florida maple are squarer and blunter than those of A. leucoderme. The chalk maple grows up to 9 m in height, though often appears with a more shrub like presentation, whereas the Florida maple grows from 15 to 25 m Both provide a bright orange to red leaf display in the fall. Both trees retain their dry leaves in winter.

Acer leucoderme is primarily used as an ornamental tree, though it has been used as a minor timber, tree.