Since the leaves of both maples may be either yellow, orange or various shades of red, one cannot distinguish between them by color. Indeed, it is not unusual to find leaves of all three colors, plus a few that are still green, on a single tree. The leaves of the red maple have small, irregular teeth along the edge, while the leaf margin of sugar maples, which is not serrated, is said to be entire . Red, sugar maple leaves. This variety has broad, rounded, three-lobed leaves, which, as the name implies, look like a goose s foot.
Leaves are always pale to rich yellow never red.
The striped maple is often seen alongside the contrasting color of the moosewood shrub, which provides patches of fall color under the taller trees in the Eastern Woodlands. In addition, the bright red fruit and pumpkin-shaped flower buds are often on the tree when the leaves turn red to maroon in the fall. Dogwood, a common low-growing tree in Eastern forests, is the state tree of Virginia and the state flower of both North Carolina and Virginia.