Acer is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples.
There are approximately 132 species, most of which are native to Asia, with a number also appearing in Europe, northern Africa, and North America.
Maples usually have easily recognizable palmate leaves ( Acer negundo is an exception) and distinctive winged fruits.
It is one of the most common genera of trees in Asia.
Most maples are trees growing to a height of 10–45 m. Others are shrubs less than 10 meters tall with a number of small trunks originating at ground level.
Most species are deciduous, and many are renowned for their autumn leaf colour, but a few in southern Asia and the Mediterranean region are evergreen.
Acer platanoides, commonly known as the Norway maple
Most maples tolerate lack of light: many small specimens live under the canopy of the foliage of trees taller than them, so that the tallest specimens become dominant in the canopy.
The fruit of the maple, called samare, is paired in disamare, in the shape of a propeller. The seed can thus, thanks to the wind, be transported over considerable distances.
Acer pseudoplatanus, known as the sycamore or as the sycamore maple
Some species of maple are extensively planted as ornamental trees by homeowners, businesses, and municipalities due to their fall colour, relatively fast growth, ease of transplanting, and lack of hard seeds that would pose a problem for mowing lawns.
Other maples, especially smaller or more unusual species, are popular as specimen trees.
Maple wood is mainly used as furniture wood.
Maple syrup is made from the sap of some maple species.
The maple leaf that appears on the flag of Canada as a stylized eleven-pointed figure is that of the sugar maple.
In Japan, we particularly appreciate the Japanese maple and, each autumn, the Japanese will admire their flamboyant colors during the period which they call "momijigari" (that is to say "admiring the maples").
In French folklore, the “maple wedding” symbolizes the 58 years of marriage.
source of information wikipedia.org