Maple Colchis Care

t is a medium-sized deciduous tree growing to 20–30 m tall with a broad, rounded crown. The leaves are opposite, palmately lobed with 5-7 lobes, 6–15 cm across. The leaf stems bleed a milky latex when broken. The flowers are in corymbs of 15-30 together, yellow-green with five petals 3–4 mm long; flowering occurs in early spring. The fruit is a double samara with two winged seeds, the seeds are disc-shaped, strongly flattened, 6–11 mm across and 2–3 mm thick. The wings are 2.5–3 cm long, widely spread, approaching a 180° angle. The bark is greenish-grey, smooth in young trees, becoming shallowly grooved when mature.

Thin, paper-like leaves are mostly seven-lobed, 5 to 14 cm wide and somewhat elongated. At the base, they are heart-shaped, ovoid-triangular lobes, with an elongated pointed tip, the lower two are much smaller than the upper five. The top is matte dark green, and the bottom is shiny light green, with a net of veins. The edges are smooth. The petiole is 5 to 15 cm long; when broken, it secretes milky juice. When blooming, the leaves have a fresh light green color, autumn color from golden yellow to red The plant is monoecious. The flowers are light yellow, collected 15-20 in small, wide, free, upright umbrellas. Each flower has 5 sepals and 5 petals. Male flowers have 8 stamens, female flowers are gynoecium with two pistils. Blooms in late May. The fruit is a paired lionfish with wings from 3 to 5 cm long located at a wide angle.