Figure 1.
Overview of the ornamental features of the studied maple species: (A) flowers (A. saccharum), (B) fruits (A. shirasawanum), (C) leaves (A. mandshuricum), (D) bark (A. griseum), (E) foliage texture (A. pensylvanicum), (F) growth habit (A. cissifolium), (G) plant health (A. opalus), (H) autumn colouration (A. amoenum).
Table 1.
Five-point scale for evaluating flowering and autumn discolouration.
| Flowering | Autumn discolouration | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Flowers clearly visible, coverage >50%, colour different from green | Intense discolouration (red, orange, bright yellow) throughout the entire crown |
| 3 | Flowers clearly visible, coverage <50%, colour different from green | Discolouration of moderate or variable intensity (yellow, dull orange) throughout the entire crown |
| 2 | Flowers poorly visible, sparse, colour different from green | Uneven discolouration affecting 30%–80% of the crown volume |
| 1 | Flowers poorly visible or not noticeable, green | Only a few leaves changing colour (up to 30%), with low intensity |
| 0 | No flowering | No discolouration |
Table 2.
Three-point scale for evaluating ornamental features of maples.
| Fruits | Foliage texture | Leaves | Bark and/or shoots | Habit | Overall tree health | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Numerous colourful or otherwise distinctive fruits covering the entire crown | Even regular foliage pattern throughout the crown | Decorative, distinctive leaves | Shoots and/or bark with distinctive colouring or an interesting texture | A distinctive, regular habit (umbrella-shaped, ovoid, columnar, etc.) | No signs of disease or pests |
| 1 | Colourful or distinctive fruits scattered or only visible at close range | Regular foliage pattern visible only in parts of the crown | Partially interesting leaves | Moderately conspicuous shoots and/or bark | A moderately regular habit of limited ornamental value | Scattered or minor disease symptoms, or limited to part of the crown |
| 0 | No fruits or fruits not distinctive, blending into the background | Chaotic foliage arrangement, unclear foliage texture | Inconspicuous leaves | Indistinct shoots and/or bark | An irregular, asymmetrical habit | Widespread disease symptoms (e.g. discolouration, leaf deformation) across the entire crown |
Table 3.
Overview of growth performance and ornamental features of 33 Acer species.
| Species name | CSR (width/height) | Flowers (max = 4) | Fruits (max = 2) | Leaves (max = 2) | Bark/shoots (max = 2) | Foliage pattern (max = 2) | Habit (max = 2) | Health (max = 2) | Autumn discoloration (max = 4) | Standardised sum (SD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section Palmata | ||||||||||
| A. amoenum | 1.12 | 2.47 | 0.87 | 1.93 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 3.87 | 5.05 (0.47) |
| A. circinatum | 0.87 | 2.30 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0.80 | 1.50 | 2.30 | –1.57 (0.87) |
| A. japonicum | 0.72 | 2.50 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 1.25 | 1.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 | 0.65 (0.63) |
| A. oliverianum | 0.69 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.63 | 1.38 | –2.33 (1.00) |
| A. palmatum | 0.58 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 3.10 | 2.32 (0.17) |
| A. pseudosieboldianum | 0.84 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 1.40 | 1.60 | 1.60 | 2.60 | 0.02 (0.68) |
| A. shirasawanum | 0.58 | 2.38 | 1.13 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 1.63 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.13 | 3.43 (0.88) |
| A. sieboldianum | 0.66 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 1.80 | 2.00 | 1.80 | 2.50 | 0.12 (0.39) |
| Section Macrantha | ||||||||||
| A. davidii | 0.70 | 2.25 | 0.25 | 2.00 | 1.13 | 2.00 | 1.50 | 1.75 | 2.13 | 2.76 (0.72) |
| A. pensylvanicum | 0.55 | 2.33 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 1.89 | 1.78 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 3.44 | 5.60 (0.49) |
| A. rufinerve | 0.55 | 2.00 | 0.50 | 2.00 | 1.63 | 1.75 | 1.88 | 2.00 | 2.88 | 5.01 (0.81) |
| A. tegmentosum | 0.60 | 1.30 | 0.00 | 1.70 | 1.80 | 1.20 | 1.30 | 1.40 | 3.70 | 1.66(1.39) |
| Section Platanoidea | ||||||||||
| A. cappadocicum | 0.55 | 2.11 | 0.00 | 0.44 | 0.00 | 0.67 | 0.78 | 2.00 | 1.56 | –4.26 (0.53) |
| A. divergens | 0.33 | 0.88 | 0.00 | 0.25 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.75 | 1.50 | 0.50 | –7.18 (0.68) |
| A. lobelii | 0.46 | 2.13 | 0.00 | 1.13 | 0.00 | 1.63 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 1.75 | –0.47 (0.75) |
| A. pictum | 0.60 | 2.12 | 0.06 | 1.53 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 1.65 | 1.65 | 1.88 | –1.40 (0.67) |
| Section Trifoliata | ||||||||||
| A. griseum | 0.69 | 2.58 | 0.50 | 1.00 | 2.00 | 1.17 | 1.58 | 1.67 | 2.50 | 2.90 (0.57) |
| A. mandshuricum | 0.56 | 2.13 | 0.50 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 1.63 | 2.00 | 3.50 | 3.27 (0.97) |
| A. maximowiczianum | 0.65 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 1.63 | 0.00 | 1.13 | 1.50 | 1.75 | 2.38 | –2.00 (0.97) |
| A. triflorum | 0.83 | 1.13 | 0.50 | 1.75 | 1.00 | 1.25 | 1.88 | 2.00 | 4.00 | 3.30 (0.94) |
| Section Arguta | ||||||||||
| A. argutum | 0.84 | 1.00 | 0.55 | 0.91 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1.45 | 1.00 | 1.82 | –5.05 (0.54) |
| A. barbinerve | 0.86 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.90 | 0.10 | 0.20 | 1.20 | 1.20 | 1.50 | –5.99 (0.69) |
| A. stachyophyllum | 0.88 | 1.13 | 0.00 | 1.63 | 0.75 | 0.25 | 2.00 | 1.40 | 1.38 | –2.83 (1.13) |
| Section Cissifolia | ||||||||||
| A. cissifolium | 0.85 | 3.38 | 1.13 | 1.88 | 0.00 | 1.75 | 1.88 | 2.00 | 2.50 | 4.68 (0.93) |
| A. henryi | 1.07 | 2.56 | 0.67 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 0.89 | 2.00 | 1.44 | 1.56 | 0.54 (0.69) |
| Section Acer series Monspessulana | ||||||||||
| A. monspessulanum | 0.73 | 2.36 | 0.00 | 1.09 | 0.00 | 1.09 | 0.82 | 2.00 | 1.55 | –2.57 (0.99) |
| A. opalus | 0.62 | 2.36 | 0.00 | 0.55 | 0.00 | 1.09 | 1.09 | 1.82 | 2.00 | –2.83 (0.51) |
| Section Acer series Saccharodendron | ||||||||||
| A. saccharum | 0.46 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 1.60 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.80 | 2.68 (0.33) |
| Section Indivisa | ||||||||||
| A. carpinifolium | 0.94 | 2.30 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 3.30 | 2.84 (0.42) |
| Section Lithocarpa | ||||||||||
| A. tsinglingense | 0.65 | 0.88 | 0.00 | 0.38 | 0.00 | 0.75 | 0.25 | 2.00 | 3.63 | –4.31 (0.84) |
| Section Pentaphylla series Trifida | ||||||||||
| A. buergerianum | 0.62 | 1.13 | 0.00 | 1.63 | 0.00 | 0.75 | 0.75 | 1.50 | 1.63 | –4.37(1.07) |
| Section Rubra | ||||||||||
| A. rubrum | 0.38 | 2.79 | 0.57 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.86 | 1.71 | 1.57 | 3.29 | 0.68 (1.11) |
| Section Spicata | ||||||||||
| A. ukurunduense | 0.77 | 2.50 | 0.00 | 0.38 | 0.75 | 1.00 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.88 | –2.00 (1.02) |
Figure 2.
A summary of tree heights in relation to their age, including a visual representation of height ranges depending on age. The X-axis shows the year of seed germination and the Y-axis indicates height in metres: (A) Section Palmata, (B) Sections Platanoidea and Macrantha, (C) Sections Trifoliata, Arguta and Cissifolia, (D) Sections Acer, Indivisa, Lithocarpa, Pentaphylla, Rubra and Spicata.
Figure 3.
Ranking of 33 maple species based on their ornamental characteristics.
Figure 4.
PCA ordination diagram of individual specimens and analysed taxa in relation to vectors representing ornamental traits. AuC, autumn colouration; Bk, bark; Fl, flowering; Fr, fruit; Hb, habit; He, overall tree health; Lv, leaves; PCA, principal component analysis; Tx, texture/foliage.
Figure 5.
Relationship between fruit ornamental value and light exposure (0—full sun, 4—full shade) (Kruskal–Wallis test: Chi-square = 7.26; p = 0.001).
Table 4.
Summary of average and maximum tree heights, along with the corresponding values reported in key dendrological literature sources: SEN—Seneta (1991); GEL—van Gelderen et al. (1994).
| Taxon name | Mean height | Maximum height | SEN | GEL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section Palmata | ||||
| A. amoenum | 8.73 | 12 | 10 (15) | 10 |
| A. circinatum | 9.00 | 13 | 10 (12) | 10 |
| A. japonicum | 8.19 | 10.5 | 10 (15) | 8–10 |
| A. oliverianum | 9.63 | 12 | – | 8–10 |
| A. palmatum | 12.30 | 16.5 | 10 (15) | 10 |
| A. pseudosieboldianum | 7.75 | 12 | 8 | 8 |
| A. shirasawanum | 10.31 | 16 | 10 (15) | 7.5 (15) |
| A. sieboldianum | 11.00 | 12.5 | 10 (15) | 10 |
| Section Macrantha | ||||
| A. davidii | 10.31 | 17 | 15 | 10–15 |
| A. pensylvanicum | 12.72 | 18 | 12 | 10–12 |
| A. rufinerve | 7.88 | 9 | 15 (20) | 15 |
| A. tegmentosum | 9.55 | 14 | 15 | 10 |
| Section Platanoidea | ||||
| A. cappadocicum | 11.17 | 18 | 20 (25) | 25–30 |
| A. divergens | 6.19 | 10.5 | … | 10 |
| A. lobelii | 14.63 | 20.5 | 20 (30) | 20 |
| A. pictum | 12.06 | 22 | 15 (20) | 15 |
| Section Trifoliata | ||||
| A. griseum | 8.29 | 12.5 | 12 | 15 |
| A. mandshuricum | 9.56 | 13 | 10 (20) | 5–6 |
| A. maximowiczianum | 10.25 | 12.5 | 20 (25) | 15 |
| A. triflorum | 7.94 | 12 | 8 | 10 |
| Section Arguta | ||||
| A. argutum | 9.86 | 11.5 | 8 | 6 |
| A. barbinerve | 6.90 | 9.5 | 12 | 10 |
| A. stachyophyllum | 9.50 | 12.5 | 10 | … |
| Section Cissifolia | ||||
| A. cissifolium | 9.31 | 15 | 10 | 12 |
| A. henryi | 8.06 | 12 | 10 | 10 |
| Section Acer Series Monspessulana | ||||
| A. monspessulanum | 8.77 | 15 | 15 | 6–12 |
| A. opalus | 10.88 | 15 | 15 (20) | 10–13 |
| Section Acer Series Saccharodendron | ||||
| A. saccharum | 20.95 | 29 | 40 | 40 |
| Section Indivisa | ||||
| A. carpinifolium | 6.40 | 10 | 15 (20) | 10 |
| Section Lithocarpa | ||||
| A. tsinglingense | 7.88 | 10.5 | - | 15* |
| Section Pentaphylla Series Trifida | ||||
| A. buergerianum | 5.50 | 9.5 | 10 | 25 |
| Section Rubra | ||||
| A. rubrum | 20.79 | 30 | 40 | 20–40 |
| Section Spicata | ||||
| A. ukurunduense | 8.19 | 12.5 | 10 (14) | 7–10 |
Figure 6.
Distribution of minimum temperatures in Rogów in the years 1991–2024, based on data from the meteorological station in Rogów (Ożga, unpublished data).