Sugar Maple Leaf

Scientific Name: Acer saccharum

Category: tree

Sugar Maple Leaf

Brief Description

A fallen autumn leaf from a sugar maple tree, displaying characteristic palmate lobes and a golden-brown hue.

Characteristics

Simple, opposite leaves with 5 palmate lobes. The sinuses (indentations between lobes) are typically rounded. In autumn, the color transitions from green to vibrant shades of orange, red, and yellow.

Habitat

Deciduous and mixed forests, typically in moist, well-drained soils.

When to Find It

Autumn is the prime season for observing and collecting these colorful fallen leaves.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Ecological Role

Fallen leaves decompose to enrich the forest soil with nutrients and provide habitat for micro-organisms and invertebrates.

Easily Confused With

Norway Maple (Acer platanoides), which has milky sap in the petiole and sharper teeth on the lobes, and Red Maple (Acer rubrum), which has more sharply toothed lobes and shallower sinuses.

Observation Tips

Look on the forest floor or up in the canopy during autumn in eastern North America.

Interesting Facts

The sugar maple is the primary source for authentic maple syrup and is famously featured on the Canadian national flag.