Everything About Wood: Acer pseudoplatanus L.

Friday, 7 April 2017


Acer pseudoplatanus L.	Great Maple, Sycamore Maple	Aceraceae

Transversal section
Diffuse-porous. Pores widely spaced, solitary and in radial multiples of two to 4 (rarely to 6). A few rows of radially flattened fibres mark the growth ring boundaries. Walls of the fibres vary in thickness and thus often form a patchy pattern. Parenchyma sparse, apotracheal, diffuse, occasionally paratracheal and rarely marginal.

Radial section
Simple perforation plates. Distinct spiral thickenings in all vessels. Homogeneous rays, occasionally square marginal cells. Slightly enlarged ray-vessel pits in the marginal cells of the rays. Libriform fibres present, fibre-tracheids absent.

Tangential section
Rays generally 3- to 5-, occasionally up to 7-seriate; uni- and biseriate rays rather frequent. Average height 40 to 50 cells, rarely up to 70 cells. In some cases (in adult stemwood mostly) these three species can be differentiated on the basis of ray width: A. campestre (2- to 4-seriate), A. platanoides (3- to 5-seriate), A. pseudoplatanus (3- to 6-seriate).

Key characters
Diffuse-porous, pores widely spaced, often in short radial multiples. Rays 3- to 5-seriate. Spiral thickenings.

Remarks
Based on the stem wood anatomy, Acer pseudoplatanus and Acer platanoides cannot be differentiated. (Acer campestre can be differentiated by on the average smaller rays).