The maple tree is represented by the leaf on Canada’s national flag. The stylized 11-point maple leaf became the flag’s central emblem when the current flag was adopted in 1965.
Maples belong to the genus Acer, which includes many species native to Canada. The leaf is associated with Canada’s forests, especially their striking autumn colors, and had already become a national symbol before appearing on the flag.
The flag’s design uses a red maple leaf between two red vertical bands on a white square. The image is a stylized symbol rather than an exact botanical drawing of one maple species.
A common mix-up is to identify the flag leaf specifically as a sugar maple. Sugar maple is important in Canada, but the flag represents the maple genus more broadly.