Sugar Maple

Ojibwe Name:

aninaatig

Scientific Name:

Acer saccharum

Significance in Ojibwe Cultures:

Indigenous peoples tapped trees by cutting v-shaped patterns into the bark or by inserting basswood or willow tubes into the tree.

How to Identify the Leaves:

"The sugar maple is a large tree that can grow up to 35 metres tall and can live for more than 200 years. Its yellowish-green leaves are 8 to 20 centimetres long, and have five lobes. The shape of the leaf is well known — it’s found on the Canadian flag and the sugar maple is the national tree of Canada. In the fall, the sugar maple’s leaves turn yellow, brilliant orange or red. Its bark is smooth and gray, and becomes darker and splits into ridges that curl out as the tree gets older. Seeds from the sugar maple are contained in "keys" which are 30 to 35 millimetres long. Seed is produced every year, with an abundant crop every 7 years."