How many seeds in a maple tree?

The maple tree's seed is just that, a seed. However the FRUIT of a Maple tree is what is known as a double samara, commonly called the "Helicopter Leaf". Each of the seeds is enclosed in a fibrous container which extends into an angled wing - this structure is what is botanically described as a samara. In maples two of these structures are joined at the base to make up the entire fruit. The weight of the seed holding the wing vertically in the air makes the fruit spiral and move sideways as it falls to the ground, thus dispersing seeds further from the parent tree and helping the maples to spread.