Certain species make for good timber, with Sugar maple being used for making bowling pins, bowling alley lanes, pool cue shafts and butcher's blocks. It takes approximately 40 litres of sap to make 1 litre of syrup. The ever popular maple syrup is of course made from a type of maple tree (sugar maple - Acer saccharum). It is featured on both the Canadian flag and the Canadian coat of arms and is also their national tree.īeyond their use as ornamental trees, some Maples have more practical uses. The same tradition is called Danpung-Nori in Korea.Ĭulturally, the maple leaf has been a common symbol for strength and endurance. The Japanese custom of watching Acer leaves change colour is called momijigari. As Acers often have attractive autumn foliage colour, many countries have leaf-watching traditions. History & Uses of Acer TreesĪcer is the latin name for the genus, which comprises approximately 130 species and over 700 cultivars. Children often refer to them as helicopters and the US army even designed an air drop supply carrier based on this 'helicopter' technique. The fruits spin as they fall due to their shape and are commonly known as 'maple keys', 'whirlybirds' and 'polynoses'. Whilst primarily known for their leaves, Maple trees can also produce flowers and fruits called 'samaras'. Maple trees are all deciduous but if you want winter interest, choose Coral Bark or Snake Bark Maples for their colourful or patterned bark.

For those with larger gardens, Norway and Red Maples create a stunning feature. The smaller varieties of Japanese Maple are ideal for any sized garden, with many being suitable for growing in a pot. They can be trees or shrubs and come in a variety of shapes including upright, spreading, mound forming and round. The vibrant colours and distinctive lobed shape of their leaves make Maple trees a great addition to any garden or planting scheme. If you answered 'no' to both questions, it's probably a Sugar maple.Description & Advice For Choosing Maple Trees If yes, it may be a silver/water maple.Ģ) If, when you pluck a leaf off, does the leaf stem have white milky sap? If yes, it's likely a norway maple. If you want to double check, go out and check:ġ) if the underside of leaves still on the tree are dramatically lighter than the top. Norway maples and Sugar Maples can have VERY similar leaves, but Norway maples have milky sap in their leaf petioles when plucked off the tree. Red Maple leaves have a lot of fine irregular serration around the leaf edges. HOWEVER! Sugar Maple has smooth margins between the main points, and smooth u-shaped regions between lobe tips. Red Maple have a very similar leaf shape to Sugar Maple. (Though may have multi-trunks if it regrew from a stump when younger) and the underside of their leaf is only very slightly lighter than the top.īlack maples have petioles (the stems that connect the leaf to the twig) with very fine hairs, like fuzz. Sugar maples tend to have upright single trunks. Silver/Water maples have a silvery or pale pastel underside to their leaves (very dramatic color difference), and they tend to grow with multiple trunks connected at the base. Identifying maple trees purely from their leaf shape isn't always accurate - there are other ways to tell them apart. However, I also believe you have a sugar maple tree.

Maple tree leaf types