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Acer campestre L.
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Field Maple
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Aceraceae
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Transversal section |
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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. |
      
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Radial section |
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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. |
  
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Tangential section |
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Rays generally 2- to 4-, occasionally up to 5-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). |
  
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Key characters |
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Diffuse-porous, pores widely spaced, often in short radial multiples. Rays 2- to 4-seriate. Spiral thickenings. |
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Remarks |
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Based on the stem wood anatomy only Acer campestre can be differentiated from Acer pseudoplatanus and Acer platanoides, which both species have on the average larger rays. |
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