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Maple Trees...
Douglas Maple:
Acer glabrum Torr. var douglasii
Other names - Rocky Mountain Maple
Habitat: The Douglas maple grows along the Pacific coast and inland throughout the Rocky Mountains to the Alberta foot hills. It commonly grows on moist sites in sheltered ravines a well as along streams.
Size and Form:  Normally seen as a large shrub, the Douglas maple can in favourabe growing conditions reach  heights of 10 m and grow to 25 cm in diameter. The crown is irregular, almost ragged in appearance. The Douglas maple is anchored by a wide and shallow root system.
Leaves: The leaves are dark green on the surface, up to 14 cm long and similar in width. The central lobe narrows toward its base where it melts into the other lobes, distinguished only by little notches which narrow to sharp slits. These notches divide the leaf into 3 to 5 leaflets. The edges are jagged and the outer edges of these jagged teeth often curve outward. Beneath the surface, the leaf is a grayish green colour and hairless. Slender reddish stalks from 3 to 12 cm long support each leaf.
Buds: The buds are blunt and either bright red or yellow in colour. There are two visible scales. The terminal bud measured from 2 to 5 mm in length.
Fruits and Seeds: The rose coloured seed case is deeply wrinkled. It has parallel wings from 18 to 22 mm long. The angle between the wings is sharp, less that 45 degrees. The keys appear in in drooping cluster and mature in mid summer. In the autumn the keys turn a light brown.
Flowers:The seed flowers and pollen flowers appear at the same time as the leaves but on  separate trees. The individual flowers are about 5 mm long and grow on short stalks within the cluster. There are five petals   on each yellowish flower. Loose clusters of flowers droop at the sides of branchlets and at the end of new shoots.
Vegetative Reproduction: This fast growing tree sprouts from stumps and roots giving it the reputation of being a weed tree.
Bark: The bark of a young tree is thin and smooth, but becomes checked and rough as the tree ages. The twigs are light green to reddish brown, smooth in texture, long and thin. A cross section of the twig shows that the twig is not rounded but has many sides.
Wood: The wood can be used for fuel but is of little commercial value. It is moderately hard and light in colour.
Quick Recognition:A short or multi-stemmed trunk with slender limbs reaching upwards to form an uneven crown. The leaves are double toothed on slender reddish stems and the wrinkled seeds have wings that are almost parallel.
Notes: The Douglas maple is favoured as an ornamental tree because of its size and colouring.
 
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