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 a lack of light: many small specimens live under the canopy of taller trees until they eventually become dominant in the canopy themselves.
The fruit of the maple, called a samara, is joined in pairs (double samara) in the shape of a propeller. Thanks to the wind, the seeds can be transported over considerable distances.
Acer pseudoplatanus, known as the sycamore or sycamore maple
Some species of maple are extensively planted as ornamental trees by homeowners, businesses, and municipalities due to their vibrant fall colour, relatively fast growth, ease of transplanting, and lack of hard seeds that would pose a problem for lawn mowing.
Other maples, especially smaller or more unusual species, are popular as specimen trees. Maple wood is primarily used for fine furniture making, and maple syrup is produced from the sap of species such as the sugar maple.
The stylized eleven-pointed maple leaf featured on the flag of Canada is that of the sugar maple. In Japan, the Japanese maple is particularly cherished; every autumn, people gather to admire the foliage during the tradition known as momijigari ("maple viewing"). In French folklore, the "maple wedding" (noces d'érable) symbolizes 58 years of marriage.
Disclaimer: This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles Maple, Acer platanoides, and Acer pseudoplatanus (contributors), which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.