Canadian $20 bears Norwegian leaf

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OTTAWA, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Some Canadian botanists say the maple leaf appearing on the country's new $20 bills is a species from Norway, not Canada.

Sean Blaney, senior botanist of the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Center, said a Norway maple leaf, rather than a Canadian maple leaf, is pictured on the new Canadian $20 bills, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday.

"It's a species that's invasive in Eastern Canada and is displacing some of our native species, and it's probably not an appropriate species to be putting on our native currency," Blaney said.

The Bank of Canada, which designed the bills, said the image is not a Norway maple leaf, but rather a stylized blend of several Canadian species.

However, Blaney said the leaf does not resemble any Canadian maple species.

"It seems a bit like an after-the-fact explanation to me. The bottom line is that, the image on the bill looks exactly like a Norway maple, however it was derived," he said.