Acer campestre

It is a deciduous tree reaching tall, with a trunk up to in diameter, with finely fissured, often somewhat corky bark. The shoots are brown, with dark brown winter buds. The leaves are in opposite pairs, long (including the petiole) and broad, with five blunt, rounded lobes with a smooth margin. Usually monoecious, the flowers are produced in spring at the same time as the leaves open, yellow-green, in erect clusters across, and are insect-pollinated. The fruit is a samara with two winged achenes aligned at 180°, each achene is wide, flat, with a wing. The two varieties, not accepted as distinct by all authorities, are: • Acer campestre var. campestre - downy fruit • Acer campestre var. leiocarpum (Opiz) Wallr. (syn. A. campestre subsp. leiocarpum) - hairless fruit The closely related Acer miyabei replaces it in eastern Asia. ==Distribution==

The native range of field maple includes much of Europe, including Denmark, Poland and Belarus, England north to southern Scotland (where it is the only native maple), southwest Asia from Turkey to the Caucasus, and north Africa in the Atlas Mountains. In many areas, the original native range is obscured by widespread planting and introductions. In North America it is known as hedge maple and in Australia, it is sometimes called common maple. In Nottinghamshire, England it was known locally as dog oak. ==Ecology==

Field maple is an intermediate species in the ecological succession of disturbed areas; it typically is not among the first trees to colonise a freshly disturbed area, but instead seeds in under the existing vegetation. It is very shade-tolerant during the initial stages of its life, but it has higher light requirements during its seed-bearing years. It exhibits rapid growth initially, but is eventually overtaken and replaced by other trees as the forest matures. It is most commonly found on neutral to alkaline soils, but more rarely on acidic soil. == Cultivation and uses ==

The field maple is widely grown as an ornamental tree in parks and large gardens. The wood is white, hard and strong, and used for furniture, flooring, wood turning and musical instruments, though the small size of the tree and its relatively slow growth make it an unimportant wood. It is locally naturalised in parts of the United States The hybrid maple Acer × zoeschense has A. campestre as one of its parents. Cultivars Over 30 cultivars of Acer campestre are known, selected for their foliage or habit, or both; several have been lost to cultivation. • 'Carnival' • 'Commodore' • 'Compactum' • 'Eastleigh Weeping' • 'Elegant' • 'Elsrijk' • 'Evenly Red' • 'Fastigiatum' • 'Green Weeping' • 'Leprechaun' • 'Lienco' • 'Marjolein' • 'Nanum' • 'Pendulum' • 'Postelense' • 'Pulverulentum' • 'Punctatissimum' • 'Puncticulatum' • 'Queen Elisabeth' • 'Red Shine' • 'Royal Ruby' • 'Ruby Glow' • 'Schwerinii' • 'Senator' • 'Silver Celebration' • 'Silver Dawn' • 'Streetwise' • 'Tauricum' • 'Tomentosum' • 'William Caldwell' • 'Zorgvlied' ==Bonsai==

Acer campestre (and the similar A. monspessulanum) are popular among bonsai enthusiasts. The dwarf cultivar 'Microphyllum' is especially useful in this regard. A. campestre bonsai have an appearance distinct from those selected from some other maples such as A. palmatum with more frilly, translucent, leaves. The shrubby habit and smallish leaves of A. campestre respond well to techniques encouraging ramification and leaf reduction. ==Gallery==

Image:Acer campestre 001.jpg|Field maple leaf Image:Acer campestre 002.jpg|Leaves and flowers Image:Acer campestre 003.jpg|Field maple, Germany Image:Acer campestre 004.jpg|Leaves Image:Acer campestre 007.jpg|Foliage in spring Image:Acer campestre 009.jpg|Field maple, Hesse, Germany Image:Acer campestre 010.jpg|Field maple leaf Image:Acer campestris1.jpg|Fruits Image:Acer_campestrie_L_ag1.jpg|Field maple Image:Acer-campestre-flowers.JPG|Field maple flowers Image:Field maple.JPG|Field maple in autumn, France Image:Acer campestre 006.jpg|Field maple, Germany Image:Entzia - Acer Campestre 02.jpg|Field maple, Spain Image:FeldahornBlatt.jpg|Leaves and inflorescence Image:Acer-campestre.JPG|Leaves and fruits Image:Acer campestre (4).JPG|Trunk Image:Acer campestre Weinsberg 20070419 1.jpg|Maple field tree, Weinsberg Image:Acer campestre 005.jpg|Leaf ==References==