Friday, May 27, 2011

Red Maple or Reddish Maple?

It has been a beautiful day in Newfoundland.  The trees have begun to flush and things are looking great.  When it comes to plants and trees sometimes the logical name for something is nearly correct, but not quite so. The Red Maple frequently comes up when my friends ask about tree identification. It seems a no-brainer. The Red Maple is native to Newfoundland and the leaf has that perfect maple leave shape.  In fact, the maple leaf on the Canadian flag is modelled after the Red Maple.

Through most of its leaf season the Red Maple has green leaves. It's true brilliance emerges in fall when the leaves are dramatically red.  The occasional Red Maple among evergreens makes for an awesome contrast.

The debate comes from a reddish maple which is not native, but is quite frequent in gardens throughout the province. It's the Crimson Maple and has a reddish-burgandy colour.  The Crimson Maple begins red and stays red throughout the season. Naturally, people refer to these beautiful trees as red maples because that's exactly what they look like! 

It's all in the name...and colour!
T.


Crimson Maple

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