Morfologisch onderzoek naar autochtone Acer campestre (Sapindaceae) in Nederland

The goal of this study is to describe the morphological features of the indigenous variant(s) of Acer campestre (Field Maple) occurring in the Netherlands. Hitherto little study has been done on this subject although A. campestre is one of the native woody plants that is widely planted. Indigenous populations in particular are expected to be more resilient to climate change due to thousands of years of adaptation to climate changes since the last glaciation period and because they are probably having a high genetic variability. For this study, material from different ancient coppice stools, pollarded trees, and hedges from the natural distribution area of the species in the Netherlands was examined to assess the morphological variation and morphological similarities between populations. This article wishes to contribute knowledge regarding the indigenousness of native trees and shrubs for the purpose of vegetation science and conservation of indigenous woody plants.