It may be surprising to see a tree with red leaves, since its natural greenness is common, but this seasonal coloration is justified by the lower amount of sunlight in the fall that affects the production of chlorophyll and makes this other hue shine. it was kept hidden. In this article, we present to you What is the Red Leaf Tree and we invite you to continue reading, so you can learn more about it.
Red Leaf Tree
In the fall, when a tree begins to go dormant, the supply of chlorophyll that passes through the tree and its leaves begins to shut down. The lack of chlorophyll causes the loss of coloration of the leaves. This compound overlaps the other colors of this part of the plant and is usually the predominant color seen. When green is not present, other shades appear. Red autumn leaves are caused by a pigment called anthocyanin, which is produced by sugars trapped in the leaves this season. However, there are other plants such as red maples that have predominant natural anthocyanins and red leaves at any time of the year.
Variety
There are many places with very difficult soils and with little nitrogen, where the trees tend to have reddish tones more than normal, hence one of the functions of Anthocyanin is to protect plants against ultraviolet light, avoiding the production of free radicals. . Next, we present a list of the trees that present this condition and their red foliage causes a very spectacular effect, as a result of the adaptation they undergo.
Arces
Maples are a huge family of trees, including members of all shapes and sizes from an equally wide range of climates. One variety with red leaves is the red snakebark maple (Acer capillipes), which is native to Japan, like many of the red maples. Its leaves are reddish when they first appear in spring, then turn green in summer only to turn red again before falling in fall.
Other red-leaved maples include the paperbark maple (Acer griseum), a low-growing deciduous tree with attractive papery, chestnut-brown bark, leaves with 3 leaflets, smooth and whitish below, They turn bright red in fall. For its part, the Japanese maple «Burgundy Lace» (Acer palmatum), begins to lose its leaves during the winter and then generates quite strong purple-red foliage during the spring and summer, while in the autumn it acquires a red. crimson.
red oak
A tree that thrives in almost any environment, this American classic provides great summer color and reddish fall color. It is moderately fast growing and reaches mature heights of 18,5 to 23 meters, with a spread of 13,5 to 15 meters. The tree is valued for its deep root system, which makes it useful for planting near urban streets and sidewalks, filling these places with great color when autumn arrives and its leaves turn reddish to the admiration of many.
Fagus Sylvatica
Within this variety is the Tricolor Beech, which stands out for having purple foliage in the spring and summer seasons, each leaf has pink edges and during the fall these leaves turn reddish. During its maturity it can be 3 to 6 meters high, while the width of its crown is about 3 meters with a maximum of 7 meters. Also, there is a type of plant called purpurea (Beech), which has a rounded crown and large oval leaves, with wavy edges presenting a bright reddish color during the fall.
flowering dogwood
This is a deciduous vegetation native to North America, which can add beauty to the landscape throughout the year and particularly in autumn since its flowers vary in color from white to red and its leaves also acquire a reddish color, so they stand out for be a very conspicuous tree of the season. These plants can grow in a variety of climates and soil conditions, generally growing best when planted in partial shade in well-drained, humus-rich soil that is slightly acidic.
Other types of Red Leaf Trees
In this section we mention other types of trees with red leaves, for knowledge of the multiplicity that exists. One of them is the sour tree: it owes its name to the bitter taste of the leaves, which have thin and shiny edges. They can grow up to 20 centimeters long and look somewhat like peach leaves, their main attraction being the red color of their foliage in the fall. Its general growth of this plant is quite fast, reaching a height of 7,6 meters.
Additionally, it is worth noting the silvery red apple tree, which is one of the few varieties of crabapple that shows reddish-purple foliage. It sheds its leaves in autumn and produces small fruits, which are slightly bitter. These trees grow to about 6 meters in height. Also included is a variety of plum that has pointed oval leaves with colors ranging from red and purple to green with flecks of red or bronze.
In addition, there are a variety of smoke trees that offer red foliage, such as the so-called Flame, Purpureous and Royal Purple. One of their characteristics is that they have large, oval-shaped leaves and are deciduous, which means that they shed their leaves in the fall. Most show heights of around 7,6 meters. Another class to highlight is Cercis canadensis Forest Pansy, which usually has a branched trunk from the base and a wide, rounded crown, while its large heart-shaped leaves maintain a strong reddish purple color.
Sweetgum trees look very bright in the fall when their leaves turn brilliant shades of red. They need a location in full sun or partial shade. They grow in almost any soil, from sandy to clay and acid to slightly alkaline. The leaves of the sweet gum tree have five to seven pointed lobes, and their shape resembles a star. Mature leaves are 10 to 18 cm wide. Its fall color lasts much longer than that of most trees.
Another variety is made up of the Malus Lizeth tree, very appropriate for small areas of the garden, since its foliage turns red in the autumn season as it grows. Aside from the lovely foliage, it has flowers that start out as crimson buds and open to reveal red petals, making it a very remarkable tree. Finally, there are the hornbeams, which are small trees that, in the shade of other trees, have an open and attractive shape, but in the sunlight, they have a dense and tight growth pattern, when autumn comes, the tree comes to life. with colorful foliage in shades of reddish, orange and yellow.
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