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{{Taxobox
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__NOTOC__{{Plantbox
| color = lightgreen
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| name = ''Acer''
| name = Maple
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| common_names = Maple
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| growth_habit = trees, shrubs
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| high = ?  <!--- 1m (3 ft) -->
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| wide =    <!--- 65cm (25 inches) -->
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| origin = ?  <!--- Mexico, S America, S Europe, garden, etc -->
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| poisonous =    <!--- indicate parts of plants which are known/thought to be poisonous -->
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| lifespan = perennial
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| exposure = ?  <!--- full sun, part-sun, semi-shade, shade, indoors, bright filtered (you may list more than 1) -->
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| water = ?  <!--- frequent, regular, moderate, drought tolerant, let dry then soak -->
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| features =    <!--- flowers, fragrance, fruit, naturalizes, invasive -->
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| hardiness =    <!--- frost sensitive, hardy, 5°C (40°F), etc -->
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| bloom =    <!--- seasons which the plant blooms, if it is grown for its flowers -->
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| usda_zones = ?  <!--- eg. 8-11 -->
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| sunset_zones =    <!--- eg. 8, 9, 12-24, not available -->
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| color = IndianRed
 
| image = Acer-saccharinum-leaves-e.jpg
 
| image = Acer-saccharinum-leaves-e.jpg
| image_width = 250px
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| image_width = 240px    <!--- leave as 240px if horizontal orientation photo, or change to 180px if vertical -->
 
| image_caption = Silver Maple (''Acer saccharinum'') leaves
 
| image_caption = Silver Maple (''Acer saccharinum'') leaves
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
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| regnum = Plantae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
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|unranked_divisio = Angiosperms
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
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|unranked_classis = Eudicots
| ordo = [[Sapindales]]
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|unranked_ordo = Rosids
| familia = [[Sapindaceae]]
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|ordo = Sapindales
| genus = '''''Acer'''''
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|familia = Sapindaceae
| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
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|genus = Acer
| subdivision_ranks = Species
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}}
| subdivision =
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{{Inc|
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[[Image:orangemaple.jpg|thumb|left|Sugar Maple (''Acer saccharum'') leaves in fall]]
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[[Image:Maple7951.JPG|left|thumb|Red Maple (''Acer rubrum'') flowers]]
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[[Image:Acer palmatum sango kaku.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Japanese Maple|Acer palmatum]]'' has over 1,000 [[cultivar|cultivars]]. This cultivar is ''A. palmatum'' 'Sango kaku', sometimes called "coralbark maple".]]
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[[Image:Karasawa2000.JPG|280px|thumb|Autumn color in the [[Japanese Alps|Hodaka Mountains]] of [[Japan]]]]
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Acer (classical Latin name). Aceraceae. Maple. Native and foreign trees cultivated chiefly for shade and for the ornamental foliage.
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Trees, rarely shrubs: lvs. opposite, petioled, simple and mostly palmately lobed, or 3-5 foliolate, deciduous, rarely evergreen: fls. small, polygamous or dioecious, in racemes, panicles or corymbs; petals and sepals 5, rarely 4, rarely sepals connate and petals wanting; disk usually annular, conspicuous, rarely lobed or wanting; stamens 4-10, mostly 8; styles 2, usually more or less connate: fr. consisting of 2 long-winged, compressed nutlets (samaras), each containing 1 seed.—About 110 species in N. Amer., Asia, especially Cent, and E. Asia, Europe and N. Afr. Monogr. by Pax in Engler, Pflanzenreich IV, fam. 163 (1903), quoted below as Pax; see, also, Rehder, The Maples of E. Continental Asia, in Sargent, Trees and Shrubs, 1:175 (1905), and Koidzumi, Revisio Aceracearum Japonicarum in Jour. College of Science, Tokyo, 32, Art. 1 (1911), both with many plates. Monogr. of the garden forms by Graf Schwerin in Gt. 1893; see also G.C. II. 16:75.
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The maples are hardy ornamental trees or shrubs, with handsome large foliage which, in some species, shows a remarkable tendency to vary in shape and coloring. Numerous garden forms are in cultivation. Though the flowers are small, they are quite attractive in the early-flowering species as in A. rubrum and A. saccharum, since they appear in great profusion; in some species the young fruits assume a bright red color, particularly in A. tataricum, A. ginnala, A. pseudoplatanus var. erythrocarpum, and A. rubrum. The maples are among our most ornamental and valuable trees for park and street planting. Nearly all assume a splendid color in autumn, especially the species of North America and Eastern Asia, which surpass by far the European maples. Many species are valuable timber trees, and some American species, especially A. saccharum, produce sugar. For purposes of shade, the common sugar maple is best and most popular. The Norway maple makes a very dense and round head, and is excellent for lawns, put it is too low-headed for the streets. A. pictum is similar, but smaller in every part. The silver maple, A. saccharinum and its vars., is also popular where quick-growing trees are desired. The Japanese maples of the Palmata section are among the most striking and showy exotic small trees, and are adapted for fine grounds and for growing in pots.
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The maples are not particular as to soil; some species, as A. monspessulanum and A. campestre, prefer drier situations, while A. saccharinum and A. rubrum prefer moist situations, the latter growing well even in swampy soil. Most of the species are hardy in the northern and middle states; among the hardiest are A. Negundo, A. saccharum (Figs. 89, 90), A. saccharinum, A. rubrum, A. nigrum, A. pennsylvanicum, A. spicatum, A. platanoides, A. tataricum.{{SCH}}
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}}
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==Cultivation==
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{{edit-cult}}<!--- Type cultivation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
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===Propagation===
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{{Inc|
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Propagation is by seeds, which soon lose their germinating power and must be sown soon after maturity or stratified and sown in spring; A. saccharum and A. Negundo keep their germinating power somewhat longer. The early-ripening species, like A. saccharinum and A. rubrum, muat be sown as soon as they are ripe and they will germinate the same year. A. campestre, A. monspessulanum and other species of this group do not usually germinate until the second year. The varieties and rare species may be budded in summer on the typical forms or on species of the same group; kinds belonging to different groups cannot, as a rule, be grafted on each other; e.g., varieties of A. platanoides will not grow on A. pseudoplatanus and vice versa, but A. insigne will grow on A. pseudoplatanus, as they belong to the same group. Some shrubby species, as A. palmatum, also A. cissifolium, A. ginnala var. Semenowi, and A. laetum var. rubrum, may be propagated by layers or half-ripened greenwood cuttings in summer, or, still better, by cuttings taken from forced plants in early spring in the greenhouse. A. Negundo grows also from hardwood cuttings. Fancy maples are readily winter-grafted by the veneer method, the stocks being grown in pots. The Japanese kinds are usually worked on imported stocks of A. palmatum.{{SCH}}
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}}
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===Pests and diseases===
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{{edit-pests}}<!--- Type pest/disease info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
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==Species==
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Select species{{wp}}:
 
*''[[Acer amplum]]'' – [[Broad Maple]]
 
*''[[Acer amplum]]'' – [[Broad Maple]]
 
*''[[Acer argutum]]'' – [[Deep-veined Maple]]
 
*''[[Acer argutum]]'' – [[Deep-veined Maple]]
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*''[[Acer velutinum]]'' – [[Velvet Maple]]
 
*''[[Acer velutinum]]'' – [[Velvet Maple]]
 
*''[[Acer wilsonii]]'' – [[Wilson's Maple]]
 
*''[[Acer wilsonii]]'' – [[Wilson's Maple]]
| range_map = Map genus Acer.png
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| range_map_width = 240px
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| range_map_caption = Distribution
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}}
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'''Maples''' are [[tree]]s or shrubs in the [[genus]] ''Acer''. There are approximately 125 [[species]], most of which are native to [[Asia]], but several species also occur in [[Europe]], northern [[Africa]], and [[North America]]. Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the [[Aceraceae]], or (together with the [[Hippocastanaceae]]) included in the family [[Sapindaceae]]. Modern classifications, including the [[Angiosperm Phylogeny Group]] classification, favor inclusion in Sapindaceae.
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The word ''Acer'' is derived from a [[Greek language|Greek]] word meaning "sharp" (referring to the characteristic points on the leaves) and was first applied to the genus by the [[French people|French]] botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort in 1700.<ref name="gelderen">van Gelderen, C.J. & van Gelderen, D.M. (1999). ''Maples for Gardens: A Color Encyclopedia''</ref>
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==Gallery==
 
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{{photo-sources}}<!-- remove this line if there are already 3 or more photos in the gallery -->
==Morphology==
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[[Image:orangemaple.jpg|thumb|left|Sugar Maple (''Acer saccharum'') leaves in fall]]
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Maples are mostly [[tree]]s growing to 10-40 m (30-130 feet) in height. Others are [[shrub]]s less than 10 m tall with a number of small [[trunk (botany)|trunks]] originating at ground level. Most species are [[deciduous]], but a few in southern Asia and the [[Mediterranean region]] are [[evergreen]].
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Maples are distinguished by opposite [[leaf]] arrangement. The leaves in most species are [[leaf shape|palmate]]ly veined and lobed, with 3-9 veins each leading to a lobe, one of which is in the middle. A small number of species differ in having palmate compound, [[leaf shape|pinnate]] compound, pinnate veined or unlobed leaves.
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Several species, including the [[Paperbark Maple]] (''Acer griseum''), [[Acer mandshuricum|Manchurian Maple]] (''Acer mandshuricum''), [[Acer maximowiczianum|Nikko Maple]] (''Acer maximowiczianum''), and [[Acer triflorum|Three-flowered Maple]] (''Acer triflorum''), have trifoliate leaves. One species, [[Acer negundo|Manitoba Maple]] (''Acer negundo''), has pinnately compound leaves that may be simply trifoliate or may have five, seven, or rarely nine leaflets. One maple, the [[Hornbeam Maple]] (''Acer carpinifolium''), has pinnately-veined simple leaves that resemble those of [[hornbeam]].
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[[Image:Maple7951.JPG|left|thumb|Red Maple (''Acer rubrum'') flowers]]
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The [[flower]]s are regular, [[symmetry (biology)#Pentamerism|pentamerous]], and borne in [[raceme]]s, [[corymb]]s, or [[umbels]]. They have five [[sepal]]s, five [[petal]]s about 1 to 6 mm long, 12 [[stamen]]s about 6-10 mm long in two rings of six, and two [[pistil]]s or a pistil with two styles. The [[ovary (plants)|ovary]] is superior and has two [[carpel]]s, whose wings elongate the flowers, making it easy to tell which flowers are female. Maples flower in late [[winter]] or early [[springtime|spring]], in most species with or just after the leaves appear, but in some before them.
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Maple flowers are green, yellow, orange or red.  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 (plant)|nectar]] for [[bee]]s.
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The distinctive [[fruit]] are called [[samara (fruit)|samaras]] or "maple keys". These [[seed]]s occur in distinctive pairs each containing one seed enclosed in a "nutlet' attached to a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue. They are shaped to spin as they fall and to carry the seeds a considerable distance on the wind. Seed maturation is usually in a few
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weeks to six months of flowering, with seed dispersal shortly after maturity. Most species require [[Stratification (botany)|stratification]] in order to [[germination|germinate]], and some seeds can remain dormant in the soil for several years before germinating.<ref name="gelderen"/>
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==Pests and diseases==
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The leaves are used as a food plant for the [[larva]]e of a number of [[Lepidoptera]] species (see [[List of Lepidoptera which feed on Maples]]). [[Aphid]]s are also very common sap-feeders on maples.
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Maples are affected by a number of [[fungus|fungal]] diseases. Several are susceptible to Verticillium wilt caused by ''[[Verticillium]]'' species, which can cause significant local mortality. Sooty bark disease, caused by ''[[Cryptostroma]]'' species, can kill trees which are under stress due to [[drought]]. Death of maples can also be caused more rarely by ''[[Phytophthora]]'' root rot and ''[[Ganoderma]]'' root decay. Maple leaves in late summer and autumn are commonly disfigured by "tar spot" caused by ''[[Rhystima]]'' species and [[mildew]] caused by ''[[Uncinula]]'' species, though these diseases do not usually have an adverse effect on the trees' long-term health.<ref name="phillips">Phillips, D. H. & Burdekin, D. A. (1992). ''Diseases of Forest and Ornamental Trees''. Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-49493-8.</ref>
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==Uses==
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===Horticulture===
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[[Image:Acer palmatum sango kaku.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Japanese Maple|Acer palmatum]]'' has over 1,000 [[cultivar|cultivars]]. This cultivar is ''A. palmatum'' 'Sango kaku', sometimes called "coralbark maple".]]
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Maples are planted as [[ornamental tree]]s by homeowners, businesses and municipalities. [[Norway Maple]] (''A. platanoides'') is especially popular as it is fast-growing and extremely cold-resistant, though is also an [[invasive species]] in some regions. Other maples, especially smaller or more unusual species, are popular as specimen trees.<ref name="gelderen"/>
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;Cultivars
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Numerous maple [[cultivar]]s have been selected for particular characteristics and can be [[plant propagation|propagated]] only by [[grafting]]. [[Japanese Maple]] (''A. palmatum'') 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]].<ref name="gelderen"/> Some delicate cultivars are usually grown in pots and rarely reach heights of more than 50-100 cm.
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;Bonsai
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Maples are a popular choice for the art of [[bonsai]]. Japanese Maple, [[Trident Maple]] (''A. buergerianum''), [[Amur Maple]] (''A. ginnala''), [[Field Maple]] (''A. campestre'') and [[Montpellier Maple]] (''A. monspessulanum'') are popular choices and respond well to techniques that encourage leaf reduction and [[ramification (botany)|ramification]], but most species can be used.<ref name="gelderen"/>
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;Collections
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Maple collections, sometimes called ''aceretums'', occupy space in many gardens and [[arboretum|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]]. In the [[United States]], the aceretum at the [[Harvard University|Harvard]]-owned [[Arnold Arboretum]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]] is especially notable. In the number of species and cultivars, the [[Esveld Aceretum]] in [[Boskoop|Boskoop, Netherlands]] is the largest in the world.<ref name="gelderen"/>
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===Tourism===
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[[Image:Karasawa2000.JPG|280px|thumb|Autumn color in the [[Japanese Alps|Hodaka Mountains]] of [[Japan]]]]Many ''Acer'' species have bright [[autumn foliage]], and many countries have leaf-watching traditions. In [[Japan]], the custom of viewing the changing color of maples in the autumn is called "[[momijigari]]". [[Nikko, Tochigi|Nikko]] and [[Kyoto]] are particularly favored destinations for this activity.
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The particularly spectacular fall colors of the [[Red Maple]] (''A''. ''rubrum'') are a major contributor to the seasonal landscape in southeastern [[Canada]] and in [[New England]]. [[Leaf peeping|Fall tourism]] is a boon to
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the economy of this region, especially in [[Vermont]], [[New Hampshire]] and [[Western Massachusetts]].
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In the American [[Pacific Northwest]], it is the spectacular fall colors of the Vine Maple (''A''. ''circinatum'') that draw tourists and photographers.
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===Commercial uses===
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Maples are important as source of syrup and [[wood]]. They are also cultivated as [[ornamental plant|ornamental plants]] and have benefits for [[tourism]] and [[agriculture]].
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;Maple syrup
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The [[Sugar Maple]] (''Acer saccharum'') is tapped for [[Sap (plant)|sap]], which is then boiled to produce [[maple syrup]] or made into [[maple sugar]] or [[maple candy]].  Syrup can be made from closely-related species as well, but their output is inferior.
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;Timber
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Some of the larger maple species have valuable [[timber]], particularly Sugar Maple in North America, and [[Sycamore Maple]] in Europe. Sugar Maple wood, often known as "hard maple", is the wood of choice for [[bowling]] pins, bowling alley lanes, [[drums]] and [[butcher block|butcher's block]]s. Maple wood is also used for the production of wooden [[baseball bat]]s, though less often than [[ash (tree)|ash]] or [[hickory]].
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Some maple wood has a highly decorative wood grain, known as [[flame maple]] and [[quilt maple]]. 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. Maple is considered a [[tonewood]], or a wood that carries sound waves well, and is used in numerous instruments such as [[guitars]] and [[drum]]s.
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;Agriculture
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As they are a major source of pollen in early spring before many other plants have flowered, maples are important to the survival of [[honeybee]]s that play a commercially-important role later in the spring and summer.
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;Toys
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Maple is also popular among toy manufacturers, most notably [[Wooden toy train|wooden toy trains]].
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===Symbolism===
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The [[flag of Canada]] depicts a stylized [[maple leaf]] and is a prominent [[national symbol]]. In the United States, the maple has been adopted by five states as their official [[state tree]]. The sugar maple was adopted by [[New York]],<ref name="ny">State of New York Dept. of State [http://www.dos.state.ny.us/kidsroom/nysfacts/stfacts.html New York State Symbols]. Retrieved Dec. 16 2006.</ref> [[Vermont]],<ref name="vt">State of Vermont Department of Libraries [http://dol.state.vt.us/www_root/000000/html/emblems/tree.htm State Tree]. Retrieved Dec. 16 2006.</ref> [[Wisconsin]]<ref name="wi">State of Wisconsin [http://www.wisconsin.gov/state/core/wisconsin_state_symbols.html State Symbols]. Retrieved Dec. 16 2006.</ref> and [[West Virginia]].<ref name="wv">Legislature of West Virginia [http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Educational/Kids_Page/4.html State Symbols]. Retrieved Dec. 16 2006.</ref> The red maple was adopted as the state tree of [[Rhode Island]].<ref name="ri">State of Rhode Island, Office of the Secretary of State. [http://www.sec.state.ri.us/library/riinfo/riinfo/knowrhode History And Facts About The Ocean State]. Retrieved Dec. 16 2006.</ref> The maple leaf is also the symbol of the online game [[MapleStory]] from [[Wizet]] and [[Nexon]].
      
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
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Image:Maple-oliv2.jpg|Norway Maple leaves
 
Image:Maple-oliv2.jpg|Norway Maple leaves
 
Image:Bi-colored Maple Tree.jpg|A bi-colored [[Bigtooth Maple]] tree
 
Image:Bi-colored Maple Tree.jpg|A bi-colored [[Bigtooth Maple]] tree
Image:curly_maple_bench.jpg|Bench made of highly-figured maple.
   
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
    
==References==
 
==References==
<references/>
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*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
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<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
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==See also==
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==External links==
*[[List of Acer species]]
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*{{wplink}}
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==External links==
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{{stub}}
{{commonscat|Acer}}
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[[Category:Categorize]]
*[http://hua.huh.harvard.edu/china/mss/volume11/Aceraceae-AGH_reviewing.htm Flora of China draft synopsis of the family Aceraceae]
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*[http://www.inh.co.jp/~hayasida/Ebunrui1.html Classification of maples]
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*[http://herbarium.uvsc.edu/Virtual/search.asp?s=genus&p=1
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&n=36&t=Acer UVSC Herbarium - Maples]
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*[http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/pages/compare-maples.htm Compare eastern North American maple species at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu]
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[[Category:Sapindaceae]]
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