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What are the functions of maple leaves?

Appreciation value, among the many red leaf tree species in the world, the autumn leaves of maple trees are unique and extremely attractive.

Sugar-making value. In addition to its ornamental value, maple leaves also have sugar-making value, especially sugar maple and black maple, which are excellent raw materials for making syrup.

Food condiment is made from the evaporation of the sap flowing out of the stems of maple leaves, and the finished product is in the form of a slurry, so it is also called "maple syrup". The sugar has a sweet and mellow taste, containing 85% sucrose. In addition to being used for cooking and seasoning, it can also be used to make sweets and candies.

Maple leaves are leaves of the maple tree. They are generally palm-shaped and have five lobes. They are about 13 centimeters long and slightly wider than an ordinary human palm. The three largest lobes have a few protruding teeth. The base is heart-shaped. The surface is rough, medium green to dark green above, hairy on the veins below, turning yellow to orange or red in autumn. But a few areas are dark, dark green.

Reason for turning red:

All leaves contain green chlorophyll. Trees use chlorophyll to capture light energy and convert the light energy into chemicals such as sugar with the help of other substances in the leaves. Material form is stored. In addition to chlorophyll, many leaves also contain other pigments such as carotene, yellow pigments, and red pigments. Although these pigments cannot perform photosynthesis like chlorophyll, some of them can transfer captured light energy to chlorophyll. In spring and summer, the content of chlorophyll in leaves is much more abundant than other pigments, so the leaves show the green color of chlorophyll, and the colors of other pigments cannot be seen.

When fall arrives, the days shorten and the nights lengthen, causing trees to begin to lose their leaves. Before falling leaves, trees no longer produce as much chlorophyll as they do in spring and summer, and existing pigments, such as chlorophyll, will gradually break down. In this way, as the chlorophyll content gradually decreases, the colors of other pigments will gradually appear on the leaves, so the leaves will appear yellow, red and other colors.