Author: Ian Vierck The Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum, is a deciduous, monoecious, tree with broad, palmately lobed leaves and fruit which commonly comes in pairs with long, blade-like samaras. Although these samaras most commonly come in pairs, they have been observed to come in groups of 3, 4, and 5. After finding several triple-samaras, I became interested in the probability of finding these unusual groupings. Curious about the probability of finding unusual samaras, I collected 484 samaras and discovered that there is a 1 in 50 chance of finding a triple-samara on a sugar maple. To put this in perspective, you are 200x more likely to find a triple-samara than a four-leaf clover. Why is this unusual arrangement a statistically common occurrence? This is a mutation that occurs in the development of the flowers of the sugar maple. Interestingly, as of 2003, the maple family (Aceraceae) has been absorbed into Sapindaceae, or the soapberry family. This change is important to note because most species in the Sapindaceae family have 3-carpellate ovaries, unlike the common 2-carpellate ovaries of the Acer genus. Although it is not commonly reported, the mutation in the number of carpels seems to occur frequently. Another question that presented itself during this project is: what would the germination rates be of seeds from the triple-samaras?