The form of the maple leaf on the Canadian flag is familiar to most citizenry , but attempt to name all maple Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree pass on from that one precis poses problems . Most of the 13 native species of maples in North America do have somewhat standardized foliage , but variation in theirs sizes , conformation and gloss do come about .
Lobes
Most of the maple on the North American continent have single - bladed leaves that possess a number of lobe . The sugar maple has either three or five lobe , the silver maple always has five , and the ruddy maple and chalk maple leafage may have three or five lobes . Most lob maple leaf have a palmate bod , meaning they expect like a paw with the finger spread asunder , their lobes representing fingers .
Indentations
The deepness of lobe indentation on maple leaves can aid in recognizing individual mintage . The " National Audubon Society Field Guide to Trees " ascertains that the silverish maple has deeply indented lobes . The leaves of deal maple and ransack maple typically have three lobes , but they do not have deep indentations along the lobe , so they resemble the shape of a duck’s egg ’s web foot .
Size
Size is an authoritative consideration when identifying maple leaves . Some , such as the Florida maple , have a small diameter , in the 2- to 3 - inch range . Others , include silver maple , stretch out some 6 or 7 inch across from side to side . The folio of a bigleaf maple lives up to the tree diagram ’s name , possessing in some instances a width of 1 animal foot .
Exceptions
Some maple have leaves that do not own the typical tone associated with the species . One is the boxelder , a type of maple with compound leaves — multiple leaflets growing on one stem to form one folio . Boxelders have a long prow with three to seven shallowly lob pocket-size folder attach . The vine maple is another maple with an odd - shaped leaf , featuring from seven to nine pointy lobes arranged in a formation that resembles a fan .
Colors
Maples have a reputation for offer dramatic fall colors , but their saltation and summertime coloration in some typeface identify them . The vine maple commonly has hints of loss to go with the dominant green coloration of the folio . The smooth-spoken maple has a obtuse gullible tone on its upper side , but the underneath of the folio read on a silvery - white hue . Red maple has a paler , almost milklike refinement of green on its undersides as contradict to the dull park above .
References
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