Oops! Norwegian maple leaf dons new Canada $20 bill
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The new Canadian 20 dollar bill made of polymer is displayed at the Bank of Canada in Ottawa in this May 2, 2012, file photo. The maple leaf shown on the bill is from a Norway maple, which is not native to Canada, several botanists cited by Canadian media decried on Friday. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
OTTAWA (AFP) - The maple leaf shown on Canada's new $20 bills is from a Norway maple, which is not native to Canada, several botanists cited by Canadian media decried on Friday.
Canada's iconic red maple leaf image appears on its flag, government logos and countless other branding of Canadiana.
"It's our national symbol - it's stunning that we continuously get it wrong," University of Ottawa professor Julian Starr told broadcaster CTV.
The Norway maple leaf, Mr Starr and others pointed out, has five main lobes and the tips are stringy while Canada's sugar maple leaf has just three lobes and the tips are not stringy.
