The following was received via email: I am doing a garden design course here in Canberra, Aust. I'm a UBC grad. Have been asked botanical name for maple leaf on canadian flag. Any suggestions or ideas where i look?
Although they don't mention it by its Latin name on the official web site of the Canadian flag, I think it is widely accepted that it is Acer saccharum, or sugar maple, a plant native to eastern Canada and a small corner of Manitoba. A small story: my father has planted wild collected sugar maple seed from southeastern Ontario in Manitoba and they are borderline hardy. It might be interesting to try some of the Manitoban genotypes to see if they are more successful in the same situation (as he lives outside of the native Manitoba distribution of the species). Elements of the Canadian flag Acer saccharum subsp. grandidentatum from the EH Lohbrunner Alpine Garden
And this was the follow-up, via email: Hi Daniel, Thank you very much for your assistance in this exercise. I have now discovered the interesting material on the UBC Botanical gardens site. The garden design course is proving very interesting and I can see how this could become quite a hobby or indeed a passion. Regards, Kathleen
