Although the maple leaf is closely associated with Canada, the maple tree was not officially recognized as Canada’s arboreal emblem until 1996.
Of the 150 known species of maple (genus Acer), only 13 are native to North America. Ten of these grow in Canada: the sugar, black, silver, bigleaf, red, mountain, striped, Douglas, vine and Manitoba maples. At least one of the 10 species grows naturally in every province. Canada’s arboreal emblem is the generic maple species.
Trees have played a meaningful role in the historical development of Canada and continue to be of commercial, environmental and aesthetic importance. Maples contribute valuable wood products and sustain the maple sugar industry; they are ideal for promoting Canada as a world leader in the sustainable management of forests.
Maple Leaf’s use as the national flower of Canada has a nice history behind it. This goes back to the rule of French Canadians in the 19th century. These French Canadians used to have this symbol and they carried it everywhere. However, there were many other symbols as well and among those symbols, only the Maple Leaf was prominent enough to deserve the title. It was called as the King of the Forest by one of the representatives. However, it was in 1996 when the use of this symbol as the national flower was made official.
Picture Credit : Google
