Vinegar trees are known for their autumn colors. The shrubs have adapted their growth to specific habitats. Under optimal conditions, they tend to spread uncontrolled.
Vinegar trees grow several meters high
leaves and flowers
The leaves of the vinegar tree are arranged alternately. A leaf is between twelve and 60 centimeters long. The leaf blade consists of nine to 31 leaflets. Two leaflets face each other. The terminal leaflet forms the conclusion. Petioles and veins on the underside of the leaves are covered with velvety hairs.
The vinegar tree is popular because of its striking autumn colors of the leaves. The green foliage turns yellow, then orange and finally glows crimson in October. It is not uncommon for a tree to have differently colored leaves. The discolorations will change depending on the type of soil the vinegar tree is growing on. Although it makes few demands on the substrate, it doesn't like heavy soil. These ensure stunted growth, which also affects leaf development. The autumn colors are less magnificent.
Appearance of the flowers:
- Single flowers form a flask-shaped inflorescence
- male inflorescences are colored yellow-green
- female inflorescences appear red
growth habit
The deciduous shrub grows between three and five, rarely between seven and ten meters high. It forms several trunks that wear a broad crown. Typical of the vinegar tree are the crooked trunks, which give the shrub a wild character.
The young twigs are velvety hairy. The wood spreads over a large area via root suckers that creep flat in the ground. In this way they draw nutrients from the sandy and rocky soil to which they are naturally adapted. The foothills often tend to sprout, so that there can be rampant stocks over large areas.