A magnificent specimen in spring, in a lucky schoolyard. Flowers are spectacular, but I haven't seen this one set fruit.
" italian maple" mountain habitat in low Ph soil have a amazing autum color,i have one ....beautiful tree....
Michael, you know we do everything sideways here on the continent! ;) Thanks though, I've got a broken SW installation, lots of programs (including stuff to rotate images) aren't working right now. Still figured it was worth posting, otherwise I would surely forget about it. (BTW that's me with the pink backpack, from which I can only surmise my daughter took the photo...) :)
Another with a superficially similar though less conspicuous, somewhat less early yellowish floral display is Norway Maple. We have lots of those here, but despite there being one in a local arboretum (as shown on this thread) Italian Maple is effectively non-existent elsewhere in this area. (The Seattle arboretum houses many kinds of trees that are not seen elsewhere here much, if at all). The only supplier of Acer opalus listed by Hill/Narizny, The Plant Locator - Western Region (2004, Black-Eyed Susans/Timber, Portland) was Colvos Creek nursery, Vashon, WA.
Hardly ever see Italian Maple planted in Britain, either, basically confined to a few botanical collections; no idea why. I'd not say its flower display is any more conspicuous than Norway Maple, though; NM can be a very striking yellow in spring.
natural habitat of acer opalus in central Italy, the region is Lazio,country is Rigatti ,Rieti province;this country is 1100 meters to sea level ; (around one mile, above sea level) the natural down limit for acer opalus is around 550 meter (mid mile) ;this observations is for central Italy.. in the wild acer opalus grown with :fagus,carpinus and acer campestre ,rare is acer monspessulanum. and together some conifer like juniperus,abies and picea pics date 15 /08 /2011
:-) i love hiking when the interest is maples,or lake,this beautiful little mountains(Appennino centrale) are near my house, only one hour
I know it is a lot further away in southern Italy, but have you ever been able to visit the Acer lobelii populations?
Michael is in my mind one hiking in Gulf of Naples,(with one visit to Pompei and Ercolano) i haven't the news about the province and forest of lobelii is native ,i have search in the web,and ask to my garden friends, nobody reply me :(
"Marche, Molise, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria" - http://www.sisef.it/forest@/show.php?id=419 (scroll down to 'Results', or do a search for 'lobelii')
Well, when I had holidays, when I was younger, I wasn't into maplemania, so maybe I saw some of them... ;-) Where I live, in the Loire valley, there are no acer opalus, or perhaps in arboretums, but I haven't seen any so far, and when I could walk, I visited many around and never saw one. It doesn't mean there aren't any : my Acer monspessulanum is probably the only one in a hundred miles around !
That orange color is unusual, from what I've seen. There are trees of the species planted around in various parks in Normandie, usually labeled as A. neapolitan. But funnily enough, Alain, the best one I've ever seen grows at the Catholic School (no, not a Catholic, but when the public system breaks down in France here in the boondocks, that is the other option), our kids attended, in the market town of Argentan. Recently featured in the Ridley Scott film "The Last Duel." A massive old tree, stunning in bloom during Spring, and generally ignored by everyone.
I don't have any problem with private schools, though I would much prefer an "all secular system". ;-) I have friends that worked in private schools, and they're not only as good teachers as I was in the public system, but the border doesn't mean much, except that in private schools, there is some sorting from the beginning between those who can and those who will need a lot of attention -if they can pay; and it's not based on religion or else, it's just that they throw out the troublemakers, or the odd ones out, which is not the case in the "Education Nationale" that takes any child, of any ability. That's the kids I worked with, and a few of my (very good) friends worked in private schools. Most of them were at least "agnostics". The way the religion seeps into the mind of the pupils is very subtle. I think there's a big difference between France and many other countries about what "Laïcité", which is translated by "secularism" but doesn't really encompass the full meaning of "Laïcité". It used to mean something in Turkey too, for instance, but it's challenged by the bigots of the AKP now. In many countries, including mine, it's frightening to see how "religions" replace common sense. Beliefs against Reason. And : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_the_Rights_of_Woman_and_of_the_Female_Citizen On 3 November 1793 the Revolutionary Tribunal sentenced her to death and she was executed for seditious behavior and attempting to reinstate the monarchy.[32] Olympe was executed only a month after Condorcet had been proscribed, and just three days after the Girondin leaders had been guillotined. Her body was disposed of in the Madeleine Cemetery.[33] Olympe's last moments were depicted by an anonymous Parisian who kept a chronicle of events (...) Religions, whether referring to a god, or gods, or an ideology, mean slavery, no freedom of thought, no chance to enhance mankind.