LXXIX 
THE MAPLE FAMILY 
I SN'T IT ODD that there is a maple tree of so little 
force of character that it cannot stand alone but 
sprawls out on the ground like a vine! 
This strange maple grows in the woods of Oregon, 
Washington, and British Columbia. It starts out like 
any other tree of its kind, but from lack of backbone it 
soon topples over and spreads itself out on the floor of 
the forest. It goes on producing leaves and the two¬ 
winged fruit, or keys, that mark it as a maple, but its 
lowly station is quite different from that of some of the 
proud trees of the family. 
Various members of the maple family have traits of 
character that are not at all like those of other members. 
They differ, as do the members of the human family. 
There is the red maple, for instance, which gives way to 
showy vanity. The red maple likes vivid colors. In win¬ 
ter its twigs and buds are red. The flowers which appear 
early in the spring are red. When the leaves are young 
they, too, are red. The keys which bear the seeds are red. 
The autumn leaves indulge in a blaze of gorgeous color 
before they drop to the ground. 
The silver maple shows little vivid coloring. Its leaves 
are green on top and silver beneath. They are very beau¬ 
tiful leaves. The silver maple will take root wherever it 
is planted and grow quickly into a large tree. It is 
friendly and pleasant to look upon. But by nature it 
158 
