Maple Leaf
This red maple leaf was handed to me by a four-year-old girl on the playground who was very excited to show proof of the fall weather around us. I was curious to find out what kind of tree this leaf came from. There are 132 species under the Genus of Acer, commonly known as maple trees, and so I had a difficult time pinpointing which tree created this leaf. After looking into which maple trees are most common/able to survive in Alaska, my guess is that the leaf came from a Douglas Maple Tree.
The Douglas Maple is native to Southeast Alaska, parts of Canada, and the Northwest states of the US. Its name, Douglas, comes from a man named David Douglas who was a Scottish botanist (Wikimedia). He named the tree in the 1800s. Its scientific name is Acer glabrum. Glabrum means smooth, referring to its smooth leaves. The Acer Glabrum species has a few variants. Another common variant is the Rocky Mountain maple, for the tree's presence near the Rocky Mountains. Douglas Maples are deciduous (obviously from their bright colors!). These trees provide shelter for many animals during the year and small mammals eat the seeds. Since the wood is pliable, Indigenous people use Douglas Maple for "snowshoe frames, saddle frames, spoons, dipnet or fishing hoops, bows, rattles, masks, and headdresses (Douglas). Leaves of this tree have 3-5 lobes (Pitto).
Works Cited
Douglas Maple. British Columbia. (n.d.). https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/treebook/douglasmaple.htm
Pitto, T. (2023, April 15). Can you grow maple trees in Alaska? which types?. Tree Vitalize. https://treevitalize.com/maple-trees-in-alaska/
Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, October 12). David Douglas (botanist). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Douglas_(botanist)
Comentarios
I love how you were handed this leaf by a little girl! It is pretty exciting to see the colors change with the seasons. I've enjoyed watching the colors change and have been particularly interested in that bold red color that stands out so well. It almost looks like it doesn't belong when there is so much green surrounding it, but I'm glad to know it is native to Southeast Alaska. I also find it very interesting how the wood is used for so many things! I'm not too well-versed in types of trees, so I'm glad to now have another type that I can identify!
Hi Lera – That leaf is beautiful! Its amazing to me how the colors changes of fall are so different depending on what part of the state you are in. Up North we go from green to brown with a very brief flash of yellow in between the two. We also don’t have leaves that decorative. When I read your post I initially assumed it was called a “Douglas” because you were in Juneau and it had something to do with Douglas Island, its interesting to know it was named after a Scottish botanist. I wonder if those trees provide maple syrup, or if all types do.
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