A symbol of strength and endurance, the red generic stylized maple leaf is the official emblem of Canada.The maple tree is the national tree of Canada, and the national flag of the country also has a maple leaf on it. Before diving into the sweet sugar maples, let’s take a quick look at Canada, its landscape, and physiology!The world’s second-largest country, Canada, covers the northern part of the North American continent and is made up of ten provinces and three territories. Canada borders Alaska and the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Winters in the northern third of the country, much of which lies in the Arctic Circle, are so severe that very few people can live there. About 80% of Canadians live within 200 mi (321.8 km) of the US border.The snow-capped Rocky Mountain maple embraces Western Canada, extending south into the USA. Canada’s highest mountain is Logan, situated at around 19,664 ft (5993.58 m). The vast prairies of the country are used for growing wheat. The forests support a thriving timber industry, even though only 5% of Canada’s land area is cultivated. Ten maple species are native to Canada. Read on to learn all about maple trees and the sweet syrup of maple trees!After reading about maple species like black maple and hornbeam maple, also check out Christmas symbols for kids and cold war facts.What does a Canadian maple tree look like?An orchard of maple trees with enchanting maple leaves and fully bloomed flowers is a bewitching sight! Here are a few facts about Canadian maples.The maple forests are deciduous, and all through the year they stand with their heads high, showing off their extravagant beauty. Be it summer, fall, or autumn, maple trees are beauteous with their slender trunks, single-bladed leaves, and light-colored, straight-grained wood. These trees can live for 130-300 years!What’s more, the long, delicate leafstalks with multiple narrow veins on blades extending from the locus of the leaf make it a beautifully carved craft. However, the leaves look different for different maple varieties. Others in the family have three to nine narrow lobes and compound leaves. The leaves are vibrantly pigmented with colors such as golden yellow, orange, and red.The colors of the red-colored maple leaves are caused by a pigment called anthocyanins. This immediately comes to mind when we envision a picturesque orchard of maples! Another pigment called carotenoids gives orange and yellow-tinted colors to the leaves. The maple fruits, also known as the Samaras or Maple-keys also show up around this time of the year, enclosing a seed within. Maple trees can easily adapt to any habitat, provided there is deep, moist, and fertile soil. Its diverse species can be found at different altitudes. They prefer temperate forests.Where do Canadian maple trees grow?Canadian maple trees like red maples, sugar maples (Acer saccharum), and silver maples are the most commonly found maple species in Canada, though other species are also prevalent.Norway maples, native to Central Europe and Western Asia, were introduced to North America as an ornamental species due to their aesthetically pleasing landscape appearance. These dense trees with greenish-yellow flowers are invasive in nature. Norway maples are found profusely in the Ottawa and Toronto provinces of Canada. The large deciduous Sycamore maples are tolerant of coastal winds. They hail from the US and are spread across the Toronto-Ontario expanse of Canada. Japanese maples are native to Japan, Korea, China, Mongolia, and Russia. They have radiant purple-red stems and leaves that add aesthetics to the landscape. An ornamental tree, the Japanese maple needs highly drained soil and more sunlight for its growth and can be spotted in the Ontario province of Canada. With lovely textures, hedge maple and Japanese maple are adaptable and used in smaller urban spaces. They prefer alkaline or salty soils and shady areas. Also called field maple or common maple, hedge maple is native to Europe and Southwest Asia.The Amur trees are smaller trees in the Acer genus. Commonly called Siberian maples, the Amur maple has distinctly colored fruits and leaves, drought resistance, and is native to Korea, Japan, Mongolia, and Siberia. The paperbark maple, with a reddish trunk and orange fall foliage, is a widely preferred specimen tree for small landscapes. Paperbark maple is native to China. The hornbeam maple has quite a different-looking leaf structure. They, too, hail from Japan and have beautiful brownish-green fall foliage.Closely related to Amur maples, Tatarian maples are small trees with greenish-white flowers and red samaras. Native to Central Europe and southeastern Asia, Tatarian maples need full or partial shade. The swamp maple, also called the scarlet maple, is native to eastern North America. Hedge maples are commonly found in Ontario. Amur maples are found in the prairies of Canada and paperbark maples in southern Canada. Wild specimen maple trees, the hybrid freeman maples, are a cross between Acer Rubrum and Acer Saccharinum. They are found across eastern North America.Properties Of A Canadian Maple TreeThe maple trees found in Canada are characterized by a height of 132 ft (40.2 m) or more. Bigleaf maple and mountain maple are this tall, while vine maple and mountain maple are less than 32.9 ft (10 m).Acer Circinatum (vine maple), widely known as vine maple, is a dwarfed tree or shrub having bright red or golden leaves with seven to nine lobes, white flowers in clusters, and maple-key wings wide apart. They, at any cost, prefer damp areas, stream sides, and the woods of British Columbia. Another species with similar features is the Acer Glabrum, mostly called Douglas or Rocky Mountain maple, which has yellow or red-colored leaves and is bestrewed with yellowish-green flowers.They are spread extensively from British Columbia to the Alberta foothills. Tallest of all, the bigleaf maples that bear the scientific name of Acer macrophyllum have dark green leaves that turn golden yellow in the fall. They can be spotted in the woodlands and prairies of North America because of their dark green leaves. Bigleaf maples are also called Oregon maples. Acer negundo (Manitoba maple), with its nickname ‘Manitoba maple’ or ‘box-elder’, has small spreading trees, compound leaves, and yellow-colored leaves in the fall, and is found profusely in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario.Acer nigrum, or ‘black maple’ found abundantly in floodplains from Ottawa to Montreal, has medium-sized trees dotted with orange or yellow-brown leaves and yellowish-green flowers. Prevalent in the cool, moist areas of Nova Scotia and Quebec, the Acer pennsylanicum, nicknamed ‘striped maple’ or ‘moosewood’ has golden-yellow leaves. Light-yellow flowers decorate the small shrubs of the striped maple. Unlike striped maples, Acer rubrum, or red maples, are medium-sized maple trees with bright red leaves, reddish twigs, buds, and flowers, dominating diverse habitats from dry woods to swamps across eastern North America.Therefore, red maples are found in superabundance across Canada because of their adaptability. Dominating the hardwood trees of Ontario, are the Acer saccharum, eke-named sugar maples (Acer saccharum), featuring large branches, brightly red leaves in the fall, and tiny flowers. Acer saccharinum, or silver maples, are abundant throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence, whereas Acer spicatum, or mountain maples, are abundant throughout Saskatchewan and Newfoundland. The creek maple also falls under the same genus.Canadian Maple Tree Fun FactsNot just national emblems and flags, Canadian maple leaves have even conquered the military symbols of Canadian forces. The species of maples found here are not one or two, but 10! There are ten species of maples naturally growing, at least one in each Canadian province.When there were just two provinces in early Canada; Ontario and Quebec, the sugar maple tree was the national symbol of the Quebec province. Interestingly, tourists from far and wide visit Canada during the ‘foliage season, to capture the bright and flamboyant autumn foliage of sugar maples in the country. The provinces of Ontario and Quebec are the most popular whistling hosts.Not just an enthralling landscape our eyes can never get over, but also a feeder for numerous animals and birds like hummingbirds, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, deer, and moose. All maple trees have sap containing sugar, but sugar maples, in particular, have a higher concentration of sugar. The indigenous groups of North America, like those of Anishinaabe and Algonquin, living in the forests and islands, derive syrup and sugar from them.They first developed the maple sugaring technologies that later helped Europeans extract them. They also made a handful of handicrafts like basketry, fish traps, spindles, paddles, bows, and spear handles out of the maple trunks and twigs. Its bark is used in making ropes, clothing, and baskets.The sugar and syrup are edible and can be dried, powdered, or eaten fresh. They are used in soups as thickeners and as major ingredients in bread. Maples also possess pharmaceutical value. They are used to treat various ailments, from coughs and tuberculosis to dysentery.Canada is the leading producer of maple syrup and related food products. It has production centers in Quebec. The trunks and timbers of the tree are used in furniture, flooring, woodwork, and a multitude of other industries such as toys, plywood, bowls, musical instruments, and veneer. To your surprise, maple trees are not only aesthetic but also help with erosion control and surface water management. They are planted as shade trees and specimen trees in the backyards.Did You Know…Maple leaves are palmately veined and lobed in most species, and they are frequently deciduous in opposite pairs. In the autumn, maple trees are recognized for their brilliant sugar maple leaf colors.Maples produce samaras in winged pairs that contain a seed that is distributed by the wind. The sycamore maple, Acer pseudoplatanus, is the genus’ type species and the most abundant maple species in Europe. Sugar maple in North America and Sycamore maple in Europe are two of the largest maple species with good timber. While most maples are tree species that grow to be between 33-149 ft (10-45.4 m) tall, other maples are shrubs that grow to be less than 32.9 ft (10 m) tall.Maples produce samaras in winged pairs that contain a seed that is distributed by the wind. For wildlife, maple as separate trees is an essential food source and is also used as a shade tree. The maple leaf appears on the Canadian flag as well. In Japan, there is a tradition known as momijigari that commemorates the shifting of the maple leaves.The big leaf maple found in Oregon was 103 ft (31.39 m) tall and 112 ft (34.1 m) wide. The big leaf maple is the world’s largest known maple tree, unlike any other medium-sized tree. Probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about maple trees is their foliage. Maples, on the other hand, do bloom! These maple flowers come in a variety of colors, including red maple flowers, yellow, orange, and even green.Insects such as flies and honeybees fertilize the flowers. Maple leaves are regularly deformed by ’tar spot’ caused by Rhytisma species and mildew caused by Uncinula species in late summer and fall, despite these diseases having little impact on the trees’ long-term health. The characteristic ‘helicopter’ seeds are produced by these seeds, which descend gently from the branches of the trees.Maple leaves have long been a part of the military regalia of the Canadian Forces; for example, the military rank insignia for generals have maple leaf motifs. Many of the root systems are dense and fibrous, preventing other vegetation from growing beneath them. Root sprouts are regularly produced by a few species, most notably Acer cappadocicum, and can develop into clonal colonies. In the United States, maple bark (maple wood) has a long history of being used to make furniture. Cherokee Indians utilized maple bark to make a purple dye that they used to color fabric.Because of its fall color, relatively fast growth, simplicity of transplanting, and absence of hard seeds that would cause mowing problems, some maple species are widely planted as ornamental trees by homes, companies, and towns. Norway maple, silver maple, Japanese maple, and red maple tree are all popular, despite the fact that Norway maple is considered invasive in North America. As specimen trees, other maples, particularly smaller or more unique kinds, are popular for maple syrup.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Canadian maple tree then why not take a look at Christmas symbols for kids and cold war facts.
A symbol of strength and endurance, the red generic stylized maple leaf is the official emblem of Canada.
