They turn yellowish or brown in the fall flowers are densely clustered maple keys are very large, with wings up to 5 cmĪlong waterways and rich, moist bottom lands in southeastern Great Lakes and St. Medium sized, short-trunked, spreading tree up to 35 m high leaves light green above, silvery-white below, and deeply lobed. Large branching, straight-trunked tree leaves have five pointed lobes, and turn brilliant red in the fall flowers are tiny, bell-shaped, and long-stalked clustered maple keys have U-shaped wings that grow slightly apart.Ĭommon in hardwood forests in deep, well-drained soils, from Ontario to Maritimes and south in the US to Georgia and Kansas. Medium-sized tree leaves grow up to 15 cm long, with three to five sharply-toothed lobes, and turn brilliant red in the fall twigs, buds, flowers are bright red maple key wings are angled at about 60°.Ī variety of habitats from swamps to dry woods, widely ranging over eastern North America.

Shade tolerant, growing in cool, moist areas from Nova Scotia and Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula west to Saskatchewan, and south in the US as far as Georgia. Maple key wings are angled at about 145°. Small, shrub-like tree with distinctive vertically striped bark leaves are broad and soft with three shallow lobes, and turn golden yellow in the fall light yellow flowers grow in drooping clusters, with male and female flowers on different trees Shade tolerant, growing in moist floodplains and bottomlands, in southeastern hardwood forests from Ottawa to Montreal, and south in US to Tennessee.Īcer pensylvanicum (striped maple or moosewood) Medium-sized, dense-crowned tree leaves have three lobes and are long-stalked, the blades are hairy beneath, and turn orange or yellow-brown in the fall yellowish-green flowers grow in hanging clusters maple key wings are only slightly angled. (Also naturalized in southern British Columbia and elsewhere in Canada, as well as Europe.) Moist soils, from southern Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario south to Florida and New Mexico. Small spreading tree leaves are compound, each with three to seven (rarely nine) leaflets, and turn yellow in the fall white flowers are densely clustered and without petals maple key wings are paired in V-shape. Moist woodlands and prairies of western North America, from British Columbia’s central coast south to California.Īcer negundo (Manitoba maple or box-elder) Tall, spreading tree dark green leaves are very large with five lobes, and turn golden yellow in the fall yellowish flowers grow in drooping clusters maple keys are hairy with wings usually angled at about 45°. Streambanks, gravelly slopes and open woods from British Columbia (except northeastern BC) to Alberta foothills and south to the US, mainly from Oregon to Utah. Small tree or multi-stemmed shrub leaves have three to five lobes, and turn yellow to red in the fall yellowish green flowers grow in small clusters maple key wings are paired in a V-shape. Small tree or multi-stemmed shrub leaves have seven to nine lobes, and turn bright red or golden in the fall white flowers grow in small clusters maple key wings are wide apart.ĭamp, open woods and streamsides, from southwestern British Columbia to northern California.Īcer glabrum (Douglas or Rocky Mountain maple) They are a major constituent of many temperate forests. In a range of habitats and at varying altitudes but prefer deep, moist, fertile soils. platanoides), becoming naturalized in parts of Canada. Of the 125 Acer species found worldwide, over two-thirds grow in China 10 are native to Canada, and others are grown as ornamentals, with some (such as Norway maple, A. The angle between the wings of a maple key varies with different species. The fruits (known as samaras or maple keys) are produced in winged pairs (rarely in threes).

MaleĪnd female flowers are separate, within the same cluster, in separate clusters, or on separate trees, again depending on the species. The flowers, pollinated by wind or by insects, are clustered, whitish to light yellow-green, or sometimes red in colour, depending on the species. In spring, the maple leaf-buds start to expand, often at the same time as the tree’s blooming flowers. The fall colours are due to the production of pigments called anthocyanins (responsible for the red colours) and/or the presence of carotenoids (orange and yellow) in the leaves after the green chlorophyll breaks down. On the west coast, however, the bigleaf maple, equally vibrant, turns bright golden yellow. Most, especially those celebrated in Canada’s eastern hardwood forests, display brilliant reds and oranges. Maples are famous for their brilliant fall colours. Vine maple leaves have seven to nine lobes and turn bright red or yellow in the fall.

Maple leaf guide