Maple
Acer pseudoplatanus (Sycamore Maple) foliage
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Sapindales Family: Sapindaceae Genus: Acer L.
Distribution
Species
See List of Acer species

Acer (maple) is a genus of trees or shrubs. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Magnoliopsida is the Botanical name for a class of Flowering plants By definition the class will include the family Magnoliaceae, but its Sapindales (pronounced /sæpɪn'deɪliz/ last two syllables just like the word dailies ''Webster's Third New International Dictionary'' p Sapindaceae, also known as the soapberry family, is a family of Flowering plants in the order Sapindales. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for There are over 100 species in the Genus Acer. Species and common synonyms Acer albopurpurascens Hayata A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or A shrub or Bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of Woody plant, distinguished from a Tree They are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or (together with the Hippocastanaceae) included in the family Sapindaceae. Aceraceae is a family of Flowering plants also called the Maple Family. Hippocastanaceae is the name given to a small group of Trees and Shrubs, when this group is treated as a familiy Sapindaceae, also known as the soapberry family, is a family of Flowering plants in the order Sapindales. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification, favour inclusion in Sapindaceae. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, or APG, refers to two international groups of systematic botanists who came together to try to establish a consensus view of the There are approximately 125 species, most of which are native to Asia, but several species also occur in Europe, northern Africa, and North America. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank.

The word Acer is derived from a Latin word meaning "sharp" (referring to the characteristic points on the leaves) and was first applied to the genus by the French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort in 1700. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Legal residents and citizens To be French according to the first article of the Constitution is to be a citizen of France regardless of one's origin race or religion ( Joseph Pitton de Tournefort ( 5 June, 1656 — 28 December, 1708) was a French Botanist, notable as the first to make a clear The type species of the genus is Acer pseudoplatanus (Sycamore Maple). In Taxonomy, a type species is the species that originally defined a genus. Acer pseudoplatanus ( Sycamore or Sycamore Maple to distinguish it from other plants called Sycamore) is a species of Maple native ^[1]

Morphology

Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple)

Maples are mostly trees growing to 10-40 meters (30-130 ft) in height. Acer saccharum ( Sugar Maple) is a species of Maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or Others are shrubs less than 10 metres tall with a number of small trunks originating at ground level. A shrub or Bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of Woody plant, distinguished from a Tree In Botany, trunk (or bole) refers to the main structural member of a Tree that supports the Branches and is supported by and directly attached Most species are deciduous, but a few in southern Asia and the Mediterranean region are evergreen. Botany Autumn leaf color. See --> In Botany and Horticulture, deciduous Plants, including The Mediterranean Basin refers to the lands around and surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. In Botany, an Evergreen plant is a plant having leaves all year round Most are shade-tolerant when young, and are often late-successional in ecology; many of the smaller species are usually understory trees growing under the canopies of other larger trees, while the larger species eventually become dominant canopy trees. Maple root systems are typically dense and fibrous. ROOT is an object-oriented program and library developed by CERN. A few species, notably Acer cappadocicum, frequently produce root sprouts, which can develop into clonal colonies. Acer cappadocicum ( Cappadocian Maple) is a Maple native to Asia, from central Turkey (ancient Cappadocia) east along A basal shoot, root sprout, adventitious shoot, water sprout or sucker is a shoot or cane which grows from a Bud at the base of a "Ramet" redirects here For the commune in Alba County, Romania see Râmeţ. ^[1]

Acer circinatum (Vine Maple) leaves showing the palmate veining typical of most species

Maples are distinguished by opposite leaf arrangement. Acer circinatum ( Vine Maple) is a species of Maple native to western North America, from southwest British Columbia to northern In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. The leaves in most species are palmate veined and lobed, with 3-9 (rarely to 13) veins each leading to a lobe, one of which is central or apical. In Botany, the following terms are used to describe the shape of plant leaves: Acicular ( acicularis) Slender and pointed needle-like A small number of species differ in having palmate compound, pinnate compound, pinnate veined or unlobed leaves. In Botany, the following terms are used to describe the shape of plant leaves: Acicular ( acicularis) Slender and pointed needle-like Several species, including Acer griseum (Paperbark Maple), Acer mandshuricum (Manchurian Maple), Acer maximowiczianum (Nikko Maple), and Acer triflorum (Three-flowered Maple), have trifoliate leaves. Acer griseum ( Paperbark Maple;) is a species of Maple native to central China, in the provinces of Gansu, Henan, Acer mandshuricum ( Manchurian Maple) is a species of Maple native to China (southeastern Gansu, Heilongjiang, Acer maximowiczianum ( Nikko maple; syn A nikoense Maxim is a species of Maple widely distributed in China ( Anhui Acer triflorum ( Three-flowered Maple) is a species of Maple native to hills of northern China ( Heilongjiang, Jilin One species, Acer negundo (Manitoba Maple), has pinnately compound leaves that may be simply trifoliate or may have five, seven, or rarely nine leaflets. Acer negundo is a species of Maple native to North America. Box Elder, Boxelder Maple, and Maple Ash are its most A few, such as Acer laevigatum and Acer carpinifolium (Hornbeam Maple), have pinnately-veined simple leaves. Acer laevigatum ( Smooth Maple or Nepal Maple) is an atypical species of Maple native to southern China ( Guizhou, Acer carpinifolium ( Hornbeam Maple; Japanese: チドリノキ Chidorinoki "zigzag tree" is a species of Maple native

Acer rubrum (Red Maple) flowers

The flowers are regular, pentamerous, and borne in racemes, corymbs, or umbels. Acer rubrum ( Red Maple, also known as Swamp or Soft Maple) is one of the most common and widespread deciduous Trees of eastern A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also "Bilateral symmetry" redirects here For bilateral symmetry in mathematics see Reflection symmetry. A raceme is a type of Inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate Flowers &mdash flowers having short A panicle is a compound Raceme, a loose much-branched indeterminate Inflorescence with pedicellate Flowers (and Fruit Umbels is a flower cluster having stalked flowers arranged singly along an elongated unbranched axis as in the lily of the valley, in which all the individual flower stalks They have four or five sepals, four or five petals about 1–6 mm long (absent in some species), four to ten stamens about 6-10 mm long, and two pistils or a pistil with two styles. A sepal (from Latin separatus "separate" + petalum "petal" is a part of the flower of Angiosperms or flower plants A petal (from Ancient Greek petalon "leaf" "thin plate" regarded as a highly modified leaf is one member or part of the corolla The stamen ( Plural stamina or stamens, from Latin stamen meaning "thread of the warp " is the male A gynoecium (from Ancient Greek gyne, "woman" is the Female reproductive part of a Flower. The ovary is superior and has two carpels, whose wings elongate the flowers, making it easy to tell which flowers are female. In the Flowering plants an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or Gynoecium. A gynoecium (from Ancient Greek gyne, "woman" is the Female reproductive part of a Flower. Maples flower in late winter or early spring, in most species with or just after the leaves appear, but in some before them. Winter is one of the four Seasons of Temperate zones Calculated astronomically, it begins on the Solstice and ends on the Equinox ^[2]

Acer platanoides (Norway Maple) samaras

Maple flowers are green, yellow, orange or red. Acer platanoides ( Norway Maple) is a species of Maple native to eastern and central Europe and southwest Asia, from France Though individually small, the effect of an entire tree in flower can be striking in several species. Some maples are an early spring source of pollen and nectar for bees. Pollen is a fine to coarse powder consisting of microgametophytes ( pollen grains) which produce the male Gametes (sperm cells of Nectar is a Sugar -rich liquid produced by plants It is produced either by the Flowers in which it attracts pollinating animals or by extrafloral Bees are flying Insects closely related to Wasps and Ants Bees are a Monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea

The distinctive fruit are called samaras or "maple keys". The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. A samara is a type of Fruit in which a flattened wing of fibrous papery tissue develops from the ovary wall These seeds occur in distinctive pairs each containing one seed enclosed in a "nutlet" attached to a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue. A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored They are shaped to spin as they fall and to carry the seeds a considerable distance on the wind. Many people call them helicopters for their unique spin. Seed maturation is usually in a few weeks to six months after flowering, with seed dispersal shortly after maturity. However, one tree can release hundreds of the seeds at a time. Depending on the species, the seeds can be small and green to yellow and big with thicker seed pods. The green seeds are released in pairs, sometimes with the stems still connected. The yellow seeds are released individually and almost always without the stems. Most species require stratification in order to germinate, and some seeds can remain dormant in the soil for several years before germinating. In Horticulture, stratification is the process of pretreating Seeds to simulate natural conditions that a seed must endure before Germination. Germination is the process whereby growth emerges from a period of dormancy ^[1]

The genus is subdivided by its morphology into a multitude of sections and subsections. ^[3]

Pests and diseases

Rhytisma acerinum fungus on Acer pseudoplatanus leaf

The leaves are used as a food plant for the larvae of a number of Lepidoptera species (see List of Lepidoptera that feed on maples). A larva ( Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of Animal with indirect development, undergoing Metamorphosis (for example Lepidoptera is an order of Insect that includes Moths and butterflies. Maples ( Acer spp are used as food plants by the Larvae of a number of Lepidoptera species Aphids are also very common sap-feeders on maples. In horticultural applications a dimethoate spray will solve this.

Maples are affected by a number of fungal diseases. A fungus (ˈfʌŋgəs is a eukaryotic Organism that is a member of the kingdom Fungi (ˈfʌndʒaɪ Several are susceptible to Verticillium wilt caused by Verticillium species, which can cause significant local mortality. Verticillium is a Genus of Fungi in the division Ascomycota. Within the genus diverse groups are formed comprising saprotrophs and parasites Sooty bark disease, caused by Cryptostroma species, can kill trees which are under stress due to drought. A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply Death of maples can rarely be caused by Phytophthora root rot and Ganoderma root decay. Phytophthora (from Greek phytón “plant” and phthorá “destruction” “the plant-destroyer” is a Genus of plant-damaging Protists Ganoderma is a genus of polypores which grow on wood They can be differentiated from other polypores because they have a double walled Basidiospore. Maple leaves in late summer and autumn are commonly disfigured by "tar spot" caused by Rhytisma species and mildew caused by Uncinula species, though these diseases do not usually have an adverse effect on the trees' long-term health. Mildew refers to certain kinds of Mold or Fungus. In Old English, it meant honeydew (a substance secreted by Aphids on leaves formerly Uncinula is a genus of fungi ^[4]

Uses

Horticulture

A red Maple tree between many pine trees. This article is about the tree For other uses of the term "pine" see Pine (disambiguation.

Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple) has over 1,000 cultivars. A cultivar is a cultivated Plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of its decorative or useful characteristics it is usually distinct from similar This cultivar is A. palmatum 'Sango kaku', sometimes called "coralbark maple".

Maples are planted as ornamental trees by homeowners, businesses and municipalities. Ornamental plants are typically grown in the flower Garden or as House plants Most commonly they are grown for the display of their Flowers Other common Acer platanoides (Norway Maple) is especially popular as it is fast-growing and extremely cold-resistant, though it is also an invasive species in some regions. Acer platanoides ( Norway Maple) is a species of Maple native to eastern and central Europe and southwest Asia, from France Introduced species|Weed Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions Other maples, especially smaller or more unusual species, are popular as specimen trees. ^[1]

Cultivars

Numerous maple cultivars have been selected for particular characteristics can be propagated only by asexual reproduction such as cuttings, tissue culture, budding or grafting. A cultivar is a cultivated Plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of its decorative or useful characteristics it is usually distinct from similar Plant propagation is the process of artificially or naturally propagating (distributing or spreading Plants Sexual propagation (seed See also Grafting is a method of asexual Plant propagation widely used in Agriculture and Horticulture where the tissues of one Plant are encouraged to Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple) alone has over 1,000 cultivars, most selected in Japan, and many of them no longer propagated or not in cultivation in the western world. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings Some delicate cultivars are usually grown in pots and rarely reach heights of more than 50-100 cm. Maple is also a key wood in the construction of percussion instruments like drum kits. Some of the best drum building companies like DW (Drum Workshop) use maple extensively throughout their mid-pro range. ^[1]

Bonsai

Bonsai "Roter Federahorn"

Maples are a popular choice for the art of bonsai. Bonsai (盆栽 literally "potted plant" is the art of Aesthetic miniaturization of Trees by growing them in containers Acer palmatum, Acer buergerianum (Trident Maple), Acer ginnala (Amur Maple), Acer campestre (Field Maple) and Montpellier Maple (A. Acer buergerianum ( Trident Maple; Chinese: 三角枫 san jiao feng) is a species of Maple native to eastern China Acer ginnala ( Amur Maple) is a plant species with woody stems native to northeastern Asia from easternmost Mongolia east to Korea Acer campestre, Common name Field Maple, is a Maple native to much of Europe, north to southern England (where it Montpellier Maple ( Acer monspessulanum) is a species of Maple native to the Mediterranean region from Morocco and Portugal in monspessulanum) are popular choices and respond well to techniques that encourage leaf reduction and ramification, but most species can be used. Ramification, in botany is the divergence of the stem and limbs of a Plant into smaller ones i ^[1]

Collections

Acer griseum is widely grown for its decorative bark

Maple collections, sometimes called aceretums, occupy space in many gardens and arboreta around the world including the "five great W's" in England: Wakehurst Place Garden, Westonbirt Arboretum, Windsor Great Park, Winkworth Arboretum and Wisley Garden. Acer griseum ( Paperbark Maple;) is a species of Maple native to central China, in the provinces of Gansu, Henan, An arboretum is a collection of trees Related collections include a fruticetum (from the Latin frutex, meaning shrub and a viticetum a collection of vines England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Wakehurst Place Garden is a Garden located in Ardingly, West Sussex in southern England ( Westonbirt Arboretum is an Arboretum near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, England, perhaps the most important and widely known arboretum in the Windsor Great Park (locally referred to simply as the Great Park) is a large Deer Park of 5000 acres to the south of the town of Windsor Winkworth Arboretum is a National Trust -owned Arboretum located between Godalming and Hascombe, Surrey, England. The Royal Horticultural Society 's garden at Wisley in the English County of Surrey south of London is one of the three most visited In the United States, the aceretum at the Harvard-owned Arnold Arboretum in Boston is especially notable. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is an Arboretum located in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale sections of Boston Massachusetts In the number of species and cultivars, the Esveld Aceretum in Boskoop, Netherlands is the largest in the world. Esveld Aceretum is (in the number of Species and cultivars under cultivation at the site the largest collection of maples in the world Boskoop (population 15225 in 2004 is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. ^[1]

Tourism

Many maples have bright autumn foliage, and many countries have leaf-watching traditions. Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the normally Green leaves of many Deciduous Trees and Shrubs by which they take on during In Japan, the custom of viewing the changing colour of maples in the autumn is called "momijigari". For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. For the Noh and Kabuki plays by this name see Momijigari (play. Nikko and Kyoto are particularly favoured destinations for this activity. is a city located in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. (IPA /kʲoːto / is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. In addition, in Korea, the same viewing activity is called "Danpung-Nori" and Seoraksan and Naejang-san mountains are very famous places for it. Seoraksan is the highest mountain in the Taebaek mountain range (태백산맥 in the Gangwon province in eastern South Korea. Naejang-san is a national park located on the border of North Jeolla and South Jeolla provinces in southwestern South Korea, approximately three hours

The particularly spectacular fall colours of the Acer rubrum (Red Maple) are a major contributor to the seasonal landscape in southeastern Canada and in New England. Acer rubrum ( Red Maple, also known as Swamp or Soft Maple) is one of the most common and widespread deciduous Trees of eastern Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the Fall tourism is a boon to the economy of this region, especially in Quebec, Vermont, New Hampshire and Western Massachusetts. Leaf peeping is an Autumn activity in areas where foliage changes colors. Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. New Hampshire ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Western Massachusetts is a loosely defined geographical region of the U In the American Pacific Northwest and British Columbia it is the spectacular fall colours of Acer circinatum (Vine Maple) that draw tourists and photographers. The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America (the term refers to the land not the ocean British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Acer circinatum ( Vine Maple) is a species of Maple native to western North America, from southwest British Columbia to northern

Commercial uses

Maples are important as source of syrup and wood. Wood is hard fibrous lignified structural tissue produced as secondary Xylem in the stems of Woody plants notably trees but also shrubs Dried wood is often used for the smoking of food. Smoking is the process of flavoring, Cooking, or preserving Food by exposing it to the Smoke from burning or smoldering plant materials They are also cultivated as ornamental plants and have benefits for tourism and agriculture. Ornamental plants are typically grown in the flower Garden or as House plants Most commonly they are grown for the display of their Flowers Other common Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture

Maple syrup

Further information: Maple Syrup

The Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) is tapped for sap, which is then boiled to produce maple syrup or made into maple sugar or maple taffy. Maple syrup is a sweetener made from the sap of Maple trees In Canada and the United States it is most often eaten with waffles and pancakes Acer saccharum ( Sugar Maple) is a species of Maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia Maple syrup is a sweetener made from the sap of Maple trees In Canada and the United States it is most often eaten with waffles and pancakes Maple sugar is what remains after the sap of the Sugar maple is boiled for longer than is needed to create Maple syrup or Maple taffy. Maple taffy (sometimes maple taffee in English-speaking Canada, tire d'érable in French-speaking Canada also sugar on snow in the United It takes about 40 litres of Sugar Maple sap to make a litre of syrup. Syrup can be made from closely-related species as well, but their output is inferior. Sugar maples typically have a lifespan of 300 years.

Timber

A bench made of highly-figured maple wood

Some of the larger maple species have valuable timber, particularly Sugar Maple in North America, and Sycamore Maple in Europe. Lumber or timber is Wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural Material for Construction, or Sugar Maple wood, often known as "hard maple", is the wood of choice for bowling pins, bowling alley lanes, pool cue shafts, and butcher's blocks. Bowling is a Game / Sport in which players attempt to score points by rolling a Bowling ball along a flat surface either into objects called pins A cue stick (or simply cue, or more specifically pool cue, snooker cue, or billiards cue) is an item of sporting equipment essential to the Butcher block is a style of assembled Wood (often Sugar maple) used as heavy duty Chopping blocks table tops and Cutting boards Maple wood is also used for the production of wooden baseball bats, though less often than ash or hickory. A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the game of Baseball to hit the ball after the ball is thrown by the pitcher. An ash can be any of four different tree genera from four very distinct families; most commonly in a combined form (e Trees in the genus Carya (from Ancient Greek κάρυον " Nut " are commonly known as Hickory.

Some maple wood has a highly decorative wood grain, known as flame maple and quilt maple. Flame maple, also known as flamed maple curly maple fiddleback or tiger stripe is a feature of Maple in which the growth of the wood fibers is distorted in an undulating Quilt or quilted maple is a type of Maple in which the growth of the wood fibers is distorted producing a beautiful wavy "quilted" look often similar to This condition occurs randomly in individual trees of several species, and often cannot be detected until the wood has been sawn, though it is sometimes visible in the standing tree as a rippled pattern in the bark.

Tonewood

Maple is considered a tonewood, or a wood that carries sound waves well, and is used in numerous musical instruments. Tonewood is the term generally used to designate wood with recognized and consistent acoustic qualities when used in the making of musical instruments A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. Maple is harder and has a brighter sound than Mahogany, which is the other major tonewood used in instrument manufacture. The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored wood originally the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West

Most drums are made from maple. A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells From the 70s to the 90s, maple drum kits were a vast majority of all drum kits made. In recent years, Birch has become popular for drums once again. Birch is the name of any Tree of the genus Betula ( Bé-tu-la) in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the Electric guitar necks are commonly made from maple. The necks of the Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster were originally an entirely maple one piece neck, but later were also avalible with rosewood fingerboards. The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as the Strat, is a model of Electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton and Freddie Tavares The Fender Telecaster, also known as the Tele (pronounced Telly is typically a dual-pickup solid-body Electric guitar made by Fender. Maple fingerboards have a brighter sound than rosewood.

The tops of Gibson's Les Paul guitar are made from carved maple. Les Paul (born Lester William Polsfuss on June 9 1915) is an American Jazz guitarist and Inventor. Many Les Pauls have quilted or flamed maple tops, and these models are particularly prized by players and collectors. Very few solid body guitars are made entirely from maple, as it is considered too heavy. Many guitars do, however, have maple tops or veneers. Gibson uses laminated maple in the manufacture of many of its semi-hollowbody guitars.

Maple is also used to make bassoons and double basses. The bassoon is a Woodwind instrument in the Double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and Tenor registers and occasionally The double bass is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed String instrument used in the modern symphony orchestra.

Agriculture

As they are a major source of pollen in early spring before many other plants have flowered, maples are important to the survival of honeybees that play a commercially-important role later in the spring and summer. Pollen is a fine to coarse powder consisting of microgametophytes ( pollen grains) which produce the male Gametes (sperm cells of This article refers collectively to all true honey bees for the "common" domesticated honey bee see European honey bee Honey bees

Symbolism

The flag of Canada depicts a stylized maple leaf and is a prominent national symbol. The National Flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf, and fr l'Unifolié ( French for "the one-leafed" is a red Flag The maple leaf is the characteristic Leaf of the Maple tree, and is an important national symbol of Canada. A national symbol is a Symbol of any entity considering itself and manifesting itself to the world as a national community – namely sovereign states, but also In the United States, the maple has been adopted by New York,^[5] Vermont,^[6] Wisconsin^[7] and West Virginia. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by ^[8] The Red Maple was adopted by Rhode Island ^[9]as their official state tree. Rhode Island ( officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is a state in the New England region of the United States In a number of countries plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas

Acer cappadocicum (Cappadocian Maple)	Acer carpinifolium leaves	Acer griseum compound (trifoliate) leaf	Acer macrophyllum flowers and young leaves
Acer laevigatum leaves and fruit	Acer sempervirens foliage	Acer ginnala foliage	Acer rubrum trees in autumn
Acer palmatum trees and bamboo in Japan	Acer grandidentatum in autumn colour	Acer platanoides leaf	Acer palmatum leaf in autumn

References