Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum

The second instalment of Canada's new definitive features tree: the trembling aspen, the Douglas fir and the sugar maple. These magnificent tree symbolize the vastness and strength of our country. The sugar maple, a worthy subject for the 25¢ stamp for use on international mail, is one of the tallest broad-leaved trees in Canada, reaching a height of 130 feet and a diameter of four feet, though normally the tree is in the eighty- ninety-foot range with a two- or three-foot diameter. The sugar maple appears in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence and Acadian Forest regions, growing best in deep, fertile, moist, well-drained soils, where there is lime in the substratum. The tree is very tolerant of shade and can thrive in the understory of the forest. The sugar maple is prized for its great beauty, especially when the leaves turn red, yellow or orange in the fall. The plant is the main source of the celebrated maple syrup and sugar and is a valuable hardwood. Heather Cooper, Toronto artist and designer, is a partner in the firm of Burns, Cooper, Donoahue, Fleming & Company Limited, internationally known for their fine work in the graphic arts. Her designs for this definitive and her accurate renderings of the foliage of tree convey the colour and beauty of the subject within the confines of a small stamp size. The Latin designation for the tree appears in the plate-block inscriptions.