Explore this online platform for Chicago-area residents to share their favorite stories about trees. From top level menus, use escape to exit the menu. [3][4] It is one of the most common trees in the United States. Its spread will generally be 11–15 m (36–49 ft) wide. Simple, opposite leaves are medium green about 3 to 6 inches long; 5 lobed, with silvery underside. The fruit are samaras, each containing a single seed, and winged, in pairs, small (5–10 mm or 0.20–0.39 in in diameter), the wing about 3–5 cm (1 1⁄4–2 in) long. It is usually found growing in open sunlight along creeks and waterways. A 10-year-old sapling will stand about 8 m (26 ft) tall. Young bark is smooth and gray and develops long wide strips that turn upward at the ends as tree age. It can thrive in a Mediterranean climate, as at Jerusalem and Los Angeles, if summer water is provided. [citation needed]. Use up and down arrow keys to explore within a submenu. The Silver Maple tree, Acer Saccharinum, is a medium to large fast growing tree.. Wildlife uses the silver maple in various ways. This species has become over planted. Like most maples, silver maple can be variably dioecious (separate male or female trees) or monoecious (male and female flowers on the same tree) but dioecious trees are far more common. Some of them may have a length of more than 100 feet. May be weedy, spreading many seedlings in lawns and gardens. The silver maple's root system is shallow and fibrous and easily invades septic fields and old drain pipes; it can also crack sidewalks and foundations. Silver maple is a tall, fast-growing, native tree of eastern North America. [9] Lumber from the tree is used in furniture, cabinets, flooring, musical instruments, crates, and tool handles, because it is light and easily worked. The Freeman maple is a popular ornamental tree in parks and large gardens, combining the fast growth of silver maple with the less brittle wood, less invasive roots, and the beautiful bright red fall foliage of the red maple. It's is a medium-sized tree of short bole and quickly branching crown. Building the urban forest for 2050. The bark can be eaten by beaver and deer. Today the tree has fallen so far out of favor that some towns and cities have banned its use as a street tree.[11][12]. [8], Today the wood can be used as pulp for making paper. Its natural habitat is along stream banks, floodplains, and lake edges where it grows best on better-drained, moist alluvial soils. Our communities. Many authorities recommend against planting silver maple. The silver maple is the favored host of the maple bladder gall mite Vasates quadripedes. Silver maple tends to grow well in both pure and mixed species stands although growth is largely a function of site and competition. Vegetative Reproduction-Silver maple can be propagated vegetatively. use escape to move to top level menu parent. While it can be an excellent tree for landscaping, it also presents some undesirable characteristics. In ideal natural conditions, A. saccharinum may live up to 130 years but in urban environments often 80 or less. Prune in summer. The preferred size of seedlings for establishing plantations of silver maple in Ontario is 30 cm (12 in) in height and 6 mm (0.25 in) in root-collar diameter (43). Use up and down arrow keys to explore within a submenu. The flowers are in dense clusters, produced before the leaves in early spring,[5] with the seeds maturing in early summer. You can search, browse, and learn more about the plants in our living collections by visiting our BRAHMS website. The wood of this maple tree is soft and can be damaged by severe winds or ice storms. It is a highly adaptable tree, although it has higher sunlight requirements than other maple trees. The seeds are also a food source for squirrels, chipmunks and birds. It is usually found growing in open sunlight along creeks and waterways. Browse the curated collection and add your voice! The Morton Arboretum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies on the generosity of members and donors. The silver maple tree is a relatively fast-growing deciduous tree, commonly reaching a height of 15–25 m (49–82 ft), exceptionally 35 m (115 ft). It is also commonly cultivated outside its native range, showing tolerance of a wide range of climates, growing successfully as far north as central Norway and south to Orlando, Florida. The seeds of both trees have no epigeal dormancy and will germinate immediately. Although the silver maple‘s Latin name is similar, it should not be confused with Acer saccharum, the sugar maple. Its spread will generally be 11–15 m (36–49 ft) wide. Many authorities recommend against planting silver maple. The tree has a tendency to color and drop its leaves slightly earlier in autumn than other maples. Silver Maple. Drought sensitive, provide supplemental water in dry periods. Typically found growing in wet bottomlands. However, its quick growth produces brittle wood which is commonly damaged in storms. SI-BAE Annual Report #43: 264-270 (p. 269), Learn how and when to remove this template message, World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Southern Research Station (www.srs.fs.fed.us), "Approved Street Tree List for Denver's Public Rights-of-way", "Acer × freemanii Autumn Blaze = 'Jeffersred. It is highly tolerant of urban situations and is frequently planted next to streets. A 10-year-old sapling will stand about 8 m (26 ft) tall. Acer saccharinum commonly known as silver maple gets its name from the silvery undersides of its leaves. It is a vigorous resprouter, and if not pruned, will often grow with multiple trunks. Silver maple is a fast-growing landscape tree that can reach a height of 70 feet or more and a trunk diameter of up to 2 feet. [14], Tantaquidgeon, Gladys 1928 Mohegan Medicinal Practices, Weather-Lore and Superstitions. Our trees. In most cases, the crown has a roughly oval or rounded shape. Without proper and frequent pruning high winds and ice can cause limbs to break. Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menus and submenus. The hybrid is known as the Freeman maple (Acer × freemanii). Without proper and frequent pruning high winds and ice can cause limbs to break. GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : Silver maple is a native, deciduous, medium-sized tree. It is often found along waterways and in wetlands, leading to the colloquial name "water maple". The silver maple is also known as Acer saccharinum, soft maple, river maple, silverleaf maple, swamp maple, water maple, and white maple. Although the wings provide for some transport by air, the fruit are heavy and are also transported by water. Vegetative Reproduction-Silver maple can be propagated vegetatively. On branches and young trunks, the bark is smooth and silvery gray. Description : Size/Price: Landscape Uses: Shade, Specimen, 2.0" = $471.00: Parkway/street : 2.5" = $587.00: Height: 40-60 feet : 3.0" = $727.00: Width: 40-50 feet In many parts of the eastern U.S., the large rounded buds are one of the primary food sources for squirrels during the spring, after many acorns and nuts have sprouted and the squirrels' food is scarce. Sun Preference Full sun and partial shade are best for this tree, meaning it prefers a minimum of four hours of … The silver maple is closely related to the red maple (Acer rubrum) and can hybridise with it. Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menus and submenus. [6] Silver maple produces a sweet sap but it is generally not used by commercial sugarmakers because its sugar content is lower than in other maple species.[10]. The silver maple tree (Acer saccharinum) is one the most common trees of North America.It generally grows 50 to 80 feet tall, though a 10-year-old sapling will stand approximately 25 feet tall. "This species is native to the Chicago Region according to Swink and Wilhelm's Plants of the Chicago Region, with updates made according to current research.". Silver maple is a tall, fast-growing, native tree of eastern North America. Silver maple trees can grow to a height of around 50 to 80 feet. Following World War II, silver maples were commonly used as a landscaping and street tree in suburban housing developments and cities due to their rapid growth, especially as a replacement for the blighted American elm. Growth Rate This tree grows at a fast rate, with height increases of more than 24" per year. Within a submenu, use escape to move to top level menu parent. Without proper and frequent pruning high winds and ice can cause limbs to break. It is often found along waterways and in wetlands, leading to the colloquial name "water maple". The silver maple reaches 50 to 80 feet in height and has a 35- to 50-foot-wide, vase-shaped canopy. The species is ideal for wet bottomland sites and can easily recover from extended periods of flooding.. Seed production begins at 11 years of age and large crops are produced most years. Use enter to activate. The autumn color is less pronounced than in many maples, generally ending up a pale yellow, although some specimens can produce a more brilliant yellow and even orange and red colorations. This is one of the largest deciduous trees native to Missouri, typically growing to 50-80’ (less frequently to 100’) tall with a rounded open spreading crown. Many authorities recommend against planting silver maple. [6] An infusion of bark removed from the south side of the tree is used by the Mohegan for cough medicine. Acer saccharinum, commonly known as silver maple,[3] creek maple, silverleaf maple,[3] soft maple, large maple,[3] water maple,[3] swamp maple,[3] or white maple,[3] is a species of maple native to the eastern and central United States and southeastern Canada. Verticillium wilt, anthracnose, tar spot, cottony maple scale, maple bladder gall. [6] Additionally, the leaves serve as a source of food for species of Lepidoptera, such as the rosy maple moth (Dryocampa rubicunda). They can also change sex from year to year. Natural Areas Conservation Training Program, Black walnut toxicity (plants tolerant of), Preventing construction damage to trees and shrubs, Trees and shrubs for the four seasons landscape, Sudden Oak Death, Ramorum Blight and Phytophthora ramorum, Eastern United States Wetlands Collection. silver maple, swamp maple, water maple, silverleaf maple, white maple, soft maple. Silver maples produce numerous branches that make the tree dense with foliage. Silver maple is often planted as an ornamental tree because of its rapid growth and ease of propagation and transplanting. In plantations where there is intense vegetation management, silver maple can average 12.5 feet after five growing seasons. It's is a medium-sized tree of short bole and quickly branching crown. Has a vigorous root system that can invade sewer pipes. They used the wood to make baskets and furniture. Silver maple is characterized as a fast growing species [].The trunk is often separated into several upright branches near the ground [].The crown is usually open and rounded [].The bark of young stems is smooth; it becomes darker and furrowed to … It is considered somewhat undesirable as a shade tree because of its brittleness and susceptibility to insects, disease, heat, and alkaline soils. Its natural habitat is along stream banks, floodplains, and lake edges where it grows best on better-drained, moist alluvial soils. Get expert help from The Morton Arboretum Plant Clinic. The cultivar Acer × freemanii .mw-parser-output span.smallcaps{font-variant:small-caps}.mw-parser-output span.smallcaps-smaller{font-size:85%}Autumn Blaze = 'Jeffersred'[13] has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [7], Native Americans used the sap of wild trees to make sugar, as medicine, and in bread. Native throughout most of the eastern United States. Silver maple, Acer saccharinum, is the softest-wooded maple and can grow to 100 feet or more in height. Silver maple and its close cousin red maple are the only Acer species which produce their fruit crop in spring instead of fall. Some of the common names are also applied to other maples, especially Acer rubrum. United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile: University of Connecticut Plant Database: Silver Maple, Trees of Western North Carolina: Silver Maple, Portrait of the Earth, Winter ID pictures, Plant Maps, Interactive Distribution Map for, photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Missouri in 1989, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Acer_saccharinum&oldid=984206759, Flora of the Great Lakes region (North America), Plants used in traditional Native American medicine, Trees of the Plains-Midwest (United States), Pages using Jepson eFlora template without author names, Articles lacking in-text citations from September 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2011, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 18 October 2020, at 20:38. Silver maple trees can tolerate compacted, poor soils, hot and dry climates, urban conditions and even air pollution. Because of the silver maple's fast growth, it is being researched as a potential source of biofuels. Have tree and plant questions? Mature height ranges from 90 to 120 feet (27-36 m). It is one of the best trees for poor soil and it transplants very easily. Silver maple's natural range encompasses most of the eastern US, the midwestern US and southern Canada, that being Southern Ontario and southwestern Quebec. It is also grown in temperate parts of the Southern Hemisphere: Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, the southern states of Brazil (as well as in a few low-temperature locations within the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais). Our future. The trunks tend to produce cavities, which can shelter squirrels, raccoons, opossums, owls and woodpeckers. It is generally absent from the humid US coastal plain south of Maryland meaning it is confined to the Appalachians in those states, and does not occur along the Gulf Coast or in Florida outside a few scattered locations in the panhandle. It is a highly adaptable tree, although it has higher sunlight requirements than other maple trees. Stop by, email, or call. On similar sites with no vegetation control the average height is less than 2 feet. On mature trunks, the bark is gray and shaggy. It is considered somewhat undesirable as a shade tree because of its brittleness and susceptibility to insects, disease, heat, and alkaline soils. The silver maple grows to a height of 50–80' and a spread of 35–50' at maturity. Green in summer; yellow-green in fall. Weak wooded and is prone to storm damage. The following menu has 3 levels. Silver maple is a fast-growing landscape tree that can reach a height of 70 feet or more and a trunk diameter of up to 2 feet. The 5–12 cm (2–4 3⁄4 in) long, slender stalks of the leaves mean that even a light breeze can produce a striking effect as the downy silver undersides of the leaves are exposed. Although it naturally is found near water, it can grow on drier ground if planted there. The fruit are the largest of any native maple. The silver maple is also known as Acer saccharinum, soft maple, river maple, silverleaf maple, swamp maple, water maple, and white maple. The silver maple tree is a relatively fast-growing deciduous tree, commonly reaching a height of 15–25 m (49–82 ft), exceptionally 35 m (115 ft). The leaves are simple and palmately veined, 8–16 cm (3 1⁄4–6 1⁄4 in) long and 6–12 cm (2 1⁄4–4 3⁄4 in) broad, with deep angular notches between the five lobes. Fruit are winged seeds in pairs (samaras), 2 inches long. However, they fell out of favor for this purpose because of brittle wood, unattractive form when not pruned or trained, and tendency to produce large numbers of volunteer seedlings. This species has become over planted. The preferred size of seedlings for establishing plantations of silver maple in Ontario is 30 cm (12 in) in height and 6 mm (0.25 in) in root-collar diameter (43).