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Manitoba maple

The maple leaf is official symbol of Canada

Maple (Latin name Acer /ˈeɪsər/) is a genus of trees or shrubs. Sometimes they are put into a family of their own, the Aceraceae. At other times they are included in the Sapindaceae. To include them in the Sapindaceae is the more modern classification. There are between 100 and 200 species of maples. Most species are native to Asia, but some also occur in Europe, Northern Africa, and North America.

The word Acer comes from a Latin word meaning "sharp". It was given because of the characteristic sharp points on the maple leaves. The first person to talk about the genus that way was French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort in 1700. The type species of the genus is Acer pseudoplatanus (the sycamore maple).