Study the leaves to identify a silver maple tree. All rights reserved. The maple trees native to Texas do not include such familiar species as the sugar maple or the silver maple, but several maples do grow within the state. Family Sapindaceae . It's is a medium-sized tree of short bole and quickly branching crown. Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) Large, reddish buds round to blunt-tipped; 4 or fewer pairs of bud scales visible. The silver maple grows in a wide range of soil types but prefers deep, moist, acidic soil. Many different species of maple trees exist, a majority of which are found growing throughout North America. Learn which plants thrive in your Hardiness Zone with our new interactive map! It has a winged fruit but the wings hang down at an angle whereas those on the field Maple are flat. Also notice the tree's growth habit to identify the silver maple. Don’t mistake the sugar maple (Acer saccharum) with the silver maple, both of which have similarly lobed leaves with paler undersides. silver maple bark identification 4 December 2020 / in Geen categorie / by / in Geen categorie / by It is a fast grower and, at one time, more used in urban landscapes where it is still common, though its huge size often dwarfs the landscape and its brittle wood is prone to storm damage. Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) is the fastest growing maple either native or planted in Iowa. Silver Maple can also be seen with curly or quilted grain patterns. The leaf surfaces are glabrous, light green above and white to silvery below, giving it the common name "silver maple." Unlike silver maple trees, the sugar maple's horseshoe-shaped, double-winged fruits mature in fall. Silver Maples' Appearance Like all maple trees, it has a five-pointed leaf and produces a prolific amount of seeds in the early spring. All Rights Reserved. Five common species are shown here. The silver maple tree (Acer saccharinum) is mostly distributed throughout the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. For example, the autumn blaze maple tree is a hybrid of a red maple and a … The vertical strips or plates on the trunk tend to peel and flake off. Silver maple trees are extremely fast-growing and have vigorous, spreading roots that can easily damage sidewalks, foundations, driveways and sewer or septic lines. The silver maple’s leaves are green on the upper surfaces, silvery on the undersides, 3 to 6 inches long and wide, and deeply lobed, with five separate lobes. Height 100' or more with a diameter of up to 36" or more; trunk usually short, divided into a number of long ascending limbs that are again divided and their small branches droop but turn upward at tips, forming a broad, rounded crown. The leaf blades are similar to A. saccharinum but have V-shaped sinuses, a shorter central lobe, and teeth distributed over the apical 50–75% of the lobes. Hard-to-distinguish trees may be a hybrid: Freeman Maple (Acer ×freemanii), which occurs naturally and is also widely planted in landscaping. Copyright Leaf Group Ltd. // Leaf Group Lifestyle. Click on images of Silver Maple to enlarge. Botanical name:  Acer saccharinum Flowers appear in the early spring before the leaves in drooping racemes. Identify maple trees by their bark: Maple tree bark is generally gray-brown to reddish-brown. It is usually found growing in open sunlight along creeks and waterways. 3 Unlike silver maple trees, the sugar maple’s horseshoe-shaped, double-winged fruits mature in fall. Silver maples have a flaky gray bark, whereas red maple trees have dark brown bark. This species has become over planted. It can withstand some flooding and has moderate drought tolerance. Identification of the leaves of the Texas maples, along with some ornamental types, can be challenging, as a few of these trees have very similar foliage. Many different species of maple trees exist, a majority of which are found growing throughout North America. It is a fast grower and, at one time, more used in urban landscapes where it is still common, though its huge size often dwarfs the landscape and its brittle wood is prone to storm damage. The silver maple is commonly used for bottom land reforestation and for rehabilitation of degraded and surface-mined lands. They can occur in the same habitat, but red maple occurs in a wider range of habitats. Its light green leaves are 15 to 20 centimetres long, with 5 or 7 lobes. Silver maple is a tall, fast-growing, native tree of eastern North America. Grain/Texture: Grain is generally straight, but may be wavy. Family: Aceraceae. Red and silver maple are closely related and have similar buds, but are usually easy to tell apart by leaves and growth habit. Acer rubrum × Acer saccharinum → Acer ×‌freemanii Murray is a rare maple hybrid known from MA, ME, NH, VT. The silver maple can also grow in a wide range of soil types and environmental conditions. Hardy in zones 3-9, silver maple tree growth is about 2 feet (0.5 m.) or more per year. soft maple, river maple, white maple, water maple, silverleaf maple, creek maple. How to Grow Silver Maple Trees. Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →, spider on the green leaf of maple tree image by starush from, http://www.arborday.org/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ID=26, Maple-Trees.com: Maple Tree Identification. The silver maple reaches 50 to 80 feet in height and has a 35- to 50-foot-wide, vase-shaped canopy. Description: It is a tree that reaches sixty to eighty feet in height (the record tree in the Big Tree Register is one hundred and fifteen feet tall), with grayish bark in scales, peeling in older trees. Silver maple has a vase shape and is a rapidly growing, fairly weak-wooded tree that reaches a height of 60 to 80 feet with a 5- to 6- foot diameter trunk on a moist site. Boulder Tree Care – Pruning & Tree Removal Services. The leaves are opposite, simple, and palmately lobed with five lobes. Study the fruits to identify silver maples, which are double-winged and V-shaped. It should be saved for planting in wet areas or where nothing else will thrive. Its natural habitat is along stream banks, floodplains, and lake edges where it grows best on better-drained, moist alluvial soils. Throughout much of the commercial maple region, however, most … Also notice the tree’s growth habit to identify the silver maple. see more; Synonyms Acer dasycarpum Acer eriocarpum. Sap is edible and can be used to make syrup although it is not a common practice and is not used in commercial syrup production. Silver maple is a large canopy tree that occupies a variety of moist to wet woodland habitats, especially floodplains where it can tolerate extensive periods of flooding and siltation. Like the red maple, silver maple is a relatively short-lived tree when compared to the sugar or black maple, living perhaps 130-150 years. Fine for large open spaces. Study the fruits to identify silver maples, which are double-winged and V-shaped. If you have any questions regarding trees, forests, wildlife, wood products or other natural resource topics, feel free to contact us by using our Ask an Expert web page. Native; Deciduous; Rapid growth rate; Reaching 65′ – 85′ in height; Crown has 40′- 55′ spread; Bark is grey and peels; Leaf has 5 lobes; Opposite bud arrangement on branches Study the leaves to identify a silver maple tree. It does have some commercial wood value and is used for making a large variety of wood working projects that include (to name a few) : musical instruments, cabinetry, furniture and flooring. The silver maple is a large tree that can grow to be 35 metres tall with a trunk that’s more than 100 centimetres in diameter. These maple trees produce 1- to 2-inch-long, elongated fruits that are green to brownish in color and mature in spring. One would be the silver coloring on the back of the leaves and that the overall size of the Silver is larger (3-5 inches on the Sugar as opposed to 5-7 inches on the Silver). Not a tree we recommend in landscapes due to the high pruning maintenance caused by storm damage and the tendency for the branches and trucks to hollow out becoming a safety issue. When you are dealing with hybrid cultivars, determining what kind of tree you have can be more difficult. Near waterways, beavers often eat silver maple bark and use their limbs for building beaver dams and lodges. When mature, they separate and whirl down from the tree on a single "wing." Its natural habitat is along stream banks, floodplains, and lake edges where it grows best on better-drained, moist alluvial soils. A distinguishing feature of silver maples is that the twigs emit a foul or fetid odor when the bark is bruised or scraped. soft maple, river maple, white maple, water maple, silverleaf maple, creek maple. Because of its fast growth rate, however, mature trees can achieve diameters in excess of 3 feet and heights in excess of 100 feet. The lobes are often very deep; the margins of the leaves are toothed and the upper surface is bright green while the … Twigs : The buds are rounded, red or reddish-brown, blunt-pointed, and generally like those of the red maple. Click on images of Silver Maple to enlarge. The leaves are arranged opposite each other in pairs. The tree is useful in wet areas, transplants easily, and can grow where few others can. Silver maple leaves have very deep margins between the five lobes, and the underside is silver or white in color. Identify the silver maple tree by its size and canopy shape. Silver maple is a rapidly growing maple found throughout much of the eastern United States and extreme southeastern Canada, where it is often tapped (sometimes heavily) in a particular location (Figure 3.9). The Silver Maple is similar to the Sugar Maple that was previously identified in many ways. Fall coloring is green to yellow-brown, and is not striking. A.K.A. It is one of the most common trees in the United States. Seeds are large two winged samaras and are eaten by numerous animals. Although the silver maple‘s Latin name is similar, it should not be confused with Acer saccharum, the … A.K.A. Sarah Terry brings over 10 years of experience writing novels, business-to-business newsletters and a plethora of how-to articles. The Norway Maple differs from the Field Maple and Sycamore in that its lobes and teeth have finely pointed tips. Roots often grow on the surface of the soil, making mowing grass difficult under the canopy. The leaves of the Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) can be distinguished from those of the Sugar maple. Without proper and frequent pruning high winds and ice can cause limbs to break. The leaves are arranged opposite each other in pairs. The Japanese Maple leaves have narrow lobes and the Silver Maple has deeply cut leaves. Study the leaves to identify a silver maple tree. As the silver maple tree ages, the bark develops thin, scaly plates on its trunk with a reddish tint to the scales. Copyright © 2020 Boulder Tree Care. Identify the silver maple by its bark, which is silvery-gray when young. Acer saccharinum, commonly known as silver maple, creek maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, large maple, water maple, swamp maple, or white maple, is a species of maple native to the eastern and central United States and southeastern Canada. Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee tells you a little about how to identify Silver Maple trees and differentiate them from other species of maple. The undersides of the leaves are much lighter than the tops and can shimmer like silver when wind ruffles the leaves, giving Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) its common name. Silver maple trees can tolerate compacted, poor soils, hot and dry climates, urban conditions and even air pollution. Genus Acer can be deciduous trees or large shrubs with paired, often palmately-lobed leaves and small flowers followed by characteristic winged fruits. The silver maple is very similar to the red maple — except that its leaves turn pale yellow or … Insects infesting silver maple trees (Acer saccharinum) range from nothing more than an annoyance to a more serious concern that can lead to the trees' defoliation and loss of vigor. The silver maple’s leaves are green on the upper surfaces, silvery on the undersides, 3 to 6 inches long and wide, and deeply lobed, with five separate lobes. Sapwood color ranges from almost white, to a light golden or reddish brown, while the heartwood is a darker reddish brown. Has a fine, even texture. When you have a naturally-occurring maple species, identification is fairly straightforward. Silver maples are typically grown as shade tree in landscapes and are prized for their attractive leaves. Commonly found in wetlands, near rivers and waterways. Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee tells you a little about how to identify Silver Maple trees and differentiate them from other species of maple. The seeds grow in a pair of "wings." Side buds often nearly as large as terminal buds. As in case of certain other maple tree species, even the silver maple is used for syrup extraction. The silver maple is also known as Acer saccharinum, soft maple, river maple, silverleaf maple, swamp maple, water maple, and white maple. Look at the flowers to spot silver maple trees. Silver maple trees are extremely fast-growing and have vigorous, spreading roots that can easily damage sidewalks, foundations, driveways and sewer or septic lines. The syrup extracted from the silver maple is found to be low in sugar content, and is rated as satisfactory. Don't mistake the sugar maple (Acer saccharum) with the silver maple, both of which have similarly lobed leaves with paler undersides. A distinguishing feature of silver maples is that the twigs emit a foul or fetid odor when the bark is bruised or scraped. The flowers are yellowish-red and bloom during early to mid-March. Terry has written articles and publications for a wide range of markets and subject matters, including Medicine & Health, Eli Financial, Dartnell Publications and Eli Journals. Silver maple trees can tolerate compacted, poor soils, hot and dry climates, urban conditions and even air pollution. But, there are several differences between the Silver and Sugar Maple. 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