maple
Other forms: maples
While most people think of syrup when they see the word maple, it actually describes any tree or shrub in the Acer family with unique winged seeds that come in pairs.
The wood from maple trees is prized for its strength and beauty, making it perfect for furniture and flooring. In addition to their stunning fall colors, maple trees produce sweet sap, especially from the sugar maple, which is used to make delicious maple syrup. The maple leaf is a symbol of Canada, proudly featured on the country's flag. Maple trees are appreciated for their practical uses and their natural beauty, making them a valuable part of nature.
Definitions of maple
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any of numerous trees or shrubs of the genus Acer bearing winged seeds in pairs; north temperate zonetypes:Acer saccharinum, silver maplea common North American maple tree; five-lobed leaves are light green above and silvery white beneath; source of hard close-grained but brittle light-brown woodAcer saccharum, rock maple, sugar maplemaple of eastern and central North America having three-lobed to five-lobed leaves and hard close-grained wood much used for cabinet work especially the curly-grained form; sap is chief source of maple syrup and maple sugar; many subspeciesAcer rubrum, red maple, scarlet maple, swamp maplemaple of eastern and central America; five-lobed leaves turn scarlet and yellow in autumnAcer pennsylvanicum, goosefoot maple, moose-wood, moosewood, striped dogwood, striped maplemaple of eastern North America with striped bark and large two-lobed leaves clear yellow in autumnAcer macrophyllum, Oregon maple, big-leaf maplemaple of western North America having large 5-lobed leaves orange in autumnAcer spicatum, mountain alder, mountain maplesmall shrubby maple of eastern North America; scarlet in autumnAcer circinatum, vine maplesmall maple of northwestern North America having prostrate stems that root freely and form dense thicketsAcer platanoides, Norway maplea large Eurasian maple tree naturalized in North America; five-lobed leaves yellow in autumn; cultivated in many varietiesAcer pseudoplatanus, great maple, scottish maple, sycamoreEurasian maple tree with pale grey bark that peels in flakes like that of a sycamore tree; leaves with five ovate lobes yellow in autumnAcer argutum, pointed-leaf maplesmall shrubby Japanese plant with leaves having 5 to 7 acuminate lobes; yellow in autumnAcer japonicum, Japanese maple, full moon mapleleaves deeply incised and bright red in autumn; JapanAcer palmatum, Japanese mapleornamental shrub or small tree of Japan and Korea with deeply incised leaves; cultivated in many varietiesAcer negundo Californicum, California box eldermaple of the Pacific coast of the United States; fruits are white when maturetype of:
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wood of any of various maple trees; especially the hard close-grained wood of the sugar maple; used especially for furniture and flooringtypes:bird's-eye maplemaple wood having a wavy grain with eyelike markingstype of:woodthe hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
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