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Common name: Silver maple
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Latin name:
Acer saccharinum L. Common name: Silver maple |
Acer saccharinum trees are common in the Midwest. They are fast growing trees. The
disadvantage of growing so quickly is that the wood is not as strong as in trees
that grow more slowly. The trunk is usually short and separates into several "subtrunks"
early on.
The
Silver maples are generally the first trees to flower in the Midwest. Although the flowers give the
tree a reddish (female flowers) or brownish (male flowers) color they are not showy
and seem to be overlooked by the general population.
The
flowers of the Acer
saccharinum are monoecious. There are separate male and female flowers but they
may appear on the same tree, even on the same branch. The flowers are in dense
clusters.
The fruit of maple trees are called "samaras". The samaras of the Silver maple
are larger than any other native maples. Since the flowers of the Acer
saccharinum emerge long before the leaves, the fruit is well developed by late
spring. This Silver maple is one of the few native maples that release their
fruit in the Spring. The samara appear in pairs, but it is common for only one
of them to develop fully.
The
leaves of the Silver maple are simple, opposite and have 5 deeply lobed sinuses.
They are light green above and silvery white below. Young leaves may be reddish. 
The bark of the Silver maple is light grey and it's smooth when the tree is
young. In older trees, the bark breaks into thin strips and with loose ends.Kingdom Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass Rosidae –
Order Sapindales –
Family Aceraceae – Maple family
Genus Acer L. – maple
Species Acer saccharinum
L. – Silver maple
Please ask for permission and give me credit if you want to use my photographs. Larger sizes are usually available.
Karren J. Wcisel © copyright 2005
- 2006
Created March 23, 2007
Send email to Karrenw@aol.com