Maple leaf

For other uses, see Maple leaf (disambiguation).

The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree, and is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.

Use in Canada

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the settlements located in New France had attained a population of about 18,000. By this time, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by the French Canadians along the Saint Lawrence River.

Its popularity with French Canadians continued and was reinforced when, at the inaugural meeting of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste in 1834, the maple leaf was one of numerous emblems proposed to represent the society. Speaking in its favour, Jacques Viger, the first mayor of Montreal, described the maple as "the king of our forest; ... the symbol of the Canadian people."

The Royal Standard of Canada showing a sprig of three maple leaves as part of the design.

The flag of Canada, featuring a stylized maple leaf in the centre.

The maple leaf slowly caught on as a national symbol: in 1868, it was included in the coat of arms of both Ontario and Quebec, and was added to the Canadian coat of arms in 1921. Historically, the golden maple leaf had represented Ontario, while the green maple leaf had represented Quebec. In 1867, Alexander Muir composed the patriotic "The Maple Leaf Forever", which became an unofficial anthem in English-speaking Canada. From 1876 until 1901, the leaf appeared on all Canadian coins, and remained on the penny after 1901. During the First World War, badges of the Canadian Expeditionary Force were often based on a maple leaf design. The use of the maple leaf as a regimental symbol extended back to the 1800s, and Canadian soldiers in the Second Boer War were distinguished by a maple leaf on their sun helmets.

The maple leaf finally became the central national symbol with the introduction of the Canadian flag (suggested by George F. G. Stanley and sponsored by M.P. John Matheson) in 1965, which uses a highly stylized eleven-pointed maple leaf, referring to no specific species of maple. Earlier official uses of a maple leaf design often used more than 30 points and a short stem. The one chosen is a generic maple leaf representing the ten species of maple tree native to Canada—at least one of these species grows natively in every province. The maple leaf is currently used on the Canadian flag, logos of various Canadian-based companies (including smaller businesses with only regional operations) and the logos of Canadian sports teams. Examples include Air Canada, McDonald's Canada, General Motors Canada, the Toronto Maple Leafs NHL franchise, the Toronto FC soccer club, and Wendy's Canada (using the maple leaf in place of the normal apostrophe found at U.S. locations). It is also used by the Federal Government as a personification and identifier on its websites, as part of the government's wordmark. Some are critical of what they think of as false or excessive (as in the case of Canadian subsidiaries of US company or small business) use of the maple leaf as a symbol on logos as they perceive such use as a sign of a Canadian need for a security blanket.

Since 1979, the Royal Canadian Mint has produced gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bullion coins, which are officially known as Maple Leafs, as geometric maple leaves are stamped on them. The Trans Canada Highway uses a green maple leaf.

Other uses

A map showing the Chehalis River, tributaries, and area railroads as forming the shape of a maple leaf.

The Italian city of Campobasso was known as the "Maple Leaf City", since during the Second World War, Canadian troops invaded the city and freed it from the Germans. Moreover the city has a huge variety of maples which can be found even in the streets.

The U.S. city of Carthage, Missouri is nicknamed "America's Maple Leaf City."

It is one of the featured symbols on the emblem of the Pakistani province of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, along with several other regional institutions due to the tree's prevalence in the area.

The city of Chehalis, Washington was known as "The Maple-Leaf City".

The city of Hornell, New York is known as "The Maple City".

The mascot of Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana, is the Maple Leaf and the nickname for Goshen College sports teams is the Maple Leafs.

In Estonia and Lithuania, inexperienced drivers are obliged to have a green maple leaf sign visible on the vehicle, serving a similar function that a P-plate does in some other countries.

The maple leaf was also featured on the coat of arms of Sammatti, Finland.