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 those of any other native maple. 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 with loose ends.

Karren Wcisel © copyright 2004 - 2006

Send email to Karrenw@aol.com

Please ask for permission before using my photographs. Larger sizes and additional photographs of the tree are often available.

TreeTopics.com  Home Page