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silver maple

Scientific Name: Acer saccharinum

Family: Aceraceae

Category: Dicot

Growth: Tree

Duration: Perennial

Other Names:

       

Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum)

The Acer saccharinum, commonly known as silver maple, creek maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, water maple, swamp maple, or white maple, is a familiar tree in Eastern North America.

Considerations for Pets

  • The text mentions the tree's samaras (fruits) which have divergent wings and can be 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches long. Small objects like these can pose a choking hazard if ingested.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Scientific Name: Acer saccharinum
  • Common Names: Silver maple, creek maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, water maple, swamp maple, white maple
  • Family: Aceraceae (Soapberry family Sapindaceae)

Distribution and Habitat

  • Native to most of Eastern North America, including Ontario.
  • Common in wet areas, particularly streambanks.
  • Generally distributed throughout Ohio.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

  • Medium-sized to large tree, typically growing to 50 to 80 feet tall, but can reach 100 feet.
  • The trunk can be quite stout, exceeding three feet in width and even reaching 5 feet.
  • Fastest growing maple, either native or planted, in Iowa.
  • Spreading branches forming a variably rounded to informally spreading crown.
  • Leaves are opposite, simple, and palmately lobed with five lobes.
  • Deeply lobed leaves that are silvery on their under surfaces.
  • Fruit is a samara, the largest of any native maple, with divergent wings.

Quirky Facts

  • Unlike many hardwoods, the sapwood of silver maple is more commonly used in lumber than its heartwood.

Further Information

  • Arborday.org offers information on size, height, growth rate, sun and soil preference.
  • Encyclopedia of Life includes facts and articles about the silver maple.
  • Kansas State University Forestry provides a Plant Fact Sheet.
  • RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) provides help and information on Acer saccharinum.