Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa

Common name: Esdoring, Ahorns, Maple

Family: Sapindaceae (Soapberry)

Distribution: Europe, Asia and North America

IUCN Red list: Not evaluated

Comments: 54 maple species meet the IUCN criteria for being under threat of extinction in their native habitat. It has been chosen as the national tree of many countries. The word maple was first published in Geoffery Chaucer's "The Knights Tale" on line 2,065, spelled as "mapul".