This is a much more serious disease that affects all kinds of maples, but Sugar Maple and Silver Maple are the ones most commonly affected. 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 is a graceful, fast-growing type of maple tree that does best planted in moist locations away from buildings because they tend to drop branches easily. The silver maple reaches 50 to 80 feet in height and has a 35- to 50-foot-wide, vase-shaped canopy. Let's have a look at the different varieties of maple trees. The sugar maple tree (Acer saccharum) grows abundantly in the northeastern part of North America: the northeastern United States (including as far south as Tennessee) and the southeastern portion of Canada.Sugar maples produce strong timber and yield maple syrup, and both commodities contribute considerably to the economy of the region. Silver maple trees can grow to be between 70 and 100 feet tall. A Woodland Management Moment, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources Youtube Channel Many different species of maple trees exist, a majority of which are found growing throughout North America. The underside of the leaves is a soft silver in color; fall color is usually a pale yellow. Look to leaves for a positive identification. All Rights Reserved. The silver maple grows rapidly and has widely been planted as a shade tree. Silver maple is a tall, fast-growing, native tree of eastern North America. 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. Silver maple or Acer saccharinum. Family: Aceraceae. Don't mistake the sugar maple (Acer saccharum) with the silver maple, both of which have similarly lobed leaves with paler undersides. One of the things that I have discovered, now that I am aware that not all trees are the same or created equal, is that there are a lot of trees out there that are in the Maple or Acer family. Silver maples are typically grown as shade tree in landscapes and are prized for their attractive leaves. Silver Maple is very closely related to Red Maple (Acer rubrum), pictured below and has similar winter buds, but if you come back in the summer, you’ll see that the leaves are much more deeply lobed than any of our other native maples. Silver maple trees are extremely fast-growing and have vigorous, spreading roots that can easily damage sidewalks, foundations, driveways and sewer or septic lines. It usually has a short trunk which divides into a number of large, ascending limbs. Resources Silver Maple, Acer saccharinum. Study the leaves to identify a silver maple tree. Hybrid Identification. Once established, it will have some drought resistance. Silver Maple Tree. Unlike silver maple trees, the sugar maple’s horseshoe-shaped, double-winged fruits mature in fall. Identify silver maple trees by such facets of the species as its trunk, bark and leaves. Study the fruits to identify silver maples, which are double-winged and V-shaped. This maple is brittle and subject to breakage. A maple tree with purple to reddish leaves during spring is a strong signal for a Japanese maple. Do Silver Maple Trees Turn Colors in the Fall?. Tree Identification 8: Silver Maple Silver Maple: Acer saccharinum. Produces red, yellow and silver clusters of … Growth is rapid in both pure and mixed stands, and the tree … This species has become over planted. Silver maple trees (Acer saccharinum) should not be confused with the sugar maple that has a similar botanical name (Acer saccharum). Tree Dissection tells so much about what is happening on the INSIDE of a tree. It has been accorded national importance by the Canadian government since 1965 - the maple leaf features prominently on the national flag of Canada. The silver maple is very similar to the red maple — except that … These again subdivide, and small branches droop but turn upward at the tips. The silver maple is also known as Acer saccharinum, soft maple, river maple, silverleaf maple, swamp maple, water maple, and white maple. It's is a medium-sized tree of short bole and quickly branching crown. The leaves have deep indentations between the lobes. Side buds often nearly as large as terminal buds. Without proper and frequent pruning high winds and ice can cause limbs to break. The lobes are often very deep; the margins of the leaves are toothed and the upper surface is bright green while the lower surface is … Also notice the tree’s growth habit to identify the silver maple. Opposite Branched Trees Alternate Branched Trees Maple (Silver, Sugar and Box elder) Ash Dogwood (small trees and shrubs) Ohio buckeye Catalpa A. Silver maple is one of 14 native maples in the U.S. Click on images of Silver Maple to enlarge. Botanical name: Acer saccharinum. Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Wildlife Habitat Hints: Prescribed Fire Techniques – Flanking Fire, Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment: Even-aged Management, Wildlife Habitat Hints: Prescribed Fire Techniques – Strip Head Fire, ID That Tree Fall Color Edition: Shagbark Hickory, Video, FNR Ask The Expert: Planning and Resources for Conservation Tree Planting, Ask an Expert: Handling Harvested Deer, Processing and Cooking Deer After Harvest, Wildlife Habitat Hints: Prescribed Fire Techniques – Backing Fire, ID That Tree: Winged Sumac (Fall Color Edition), Video, An equal access, equal opportunity university. Copyright Leaf Group Ltd. // Leaf Group Lifestyle. Maple Tree Varieties. Silver Maple Tree Identification. Maple tree leaves: Silver maple tree leaves have five lobes with toothed edges. When planting a tree in your yard or garden, take into account how it will look year-round. Sarah Terry brings over 10 years of experience writing novels, business-to-business newsletters and a plethora of how-to articles. soft maple, river maple, white maple, water maple, silverleaf maple, creek … Learn which plants thrive in your Hardiness Zone with our new interactive map! It is very commonly planted as an ornamental or as a shade tree around many homes in our area, though. ID That Tree: Silver Maple, Video Posted on July 13th, 2020 in Forestry , Forests and Street Trees , How To , Land Use , Plants | No Comments » 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 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. Silver Maples are also popular ornamental trees commonly found in front yards or even as park or street trees. The flowers are yellowish-red and bloom during early to mid-March. Many different species of maple trees exist, a majority of which are found growing throughout North America. The bark, too, is silver in color, particularly when the tree is young. Green on top and silvery underneath through spring and summer, they turn a pale yellow in the fall. Simple Leaves American basswood Black cherry Cottonwood Elm (American and Slippery) ID That Tree, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources Youtube Channel Maple is one of the most beautiful and the most versatile trees. Silver maple leaves grow to be five to seven inches wide, with five lobes. Most Maple species are deciduous, however a few species in southern Asia and the Mediterranean region are evergreen. Species Leaf Bark Twig Fruit; Sugar Maple : 3-5 inches wide; 5lobed (rarely 3-lobed); bright green upper surface and a paler green lower surface; leaf margin without fine teeth (compare with red and silver maple). Look at the flowers to spot silver maple trees. Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) Large, reddish buds round to blunt-tipped; 4 or fewer pairs of bud scales visible. Its light green leaves are 15 to 20 centimetres long, with 5 or 7 lobes. Table 3.2. The Japanese Maple leaves have narrow lobes and the Silver Maple has deeply cut leaves. Identifying Characteristics of Sugar, Black, Red and Silver Maple. The silver maple tree (Acer saccharinum) is mostly distributed throughout the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. The silver maple can also grow in a wide range of soil types and environmental conditions. As the silver maple tree ages, the bark develops thin, scaly plates on its trunk with a reddish tint to the scales. Color/Appearance: Unlike most other hardwoods, the sapwood of maple lumber is most commonly used rather than its heartwood.Sapwood color ranges from almost white, to a light golden or reddish brown, while the heartwood is a darker reddish brown. 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. The leaves in most species are palmate veined and lobed, with 3-9 (rarely to 13) veins each leading to a lobe, one of which is central or apical. Unlike silver maple trees, the sugar maple's horseshoe-shaped, double-winged fruits mature in fall. Grayish, scaly, and flaky: Most likely a silver maple. The leaves are opposite, simple, and palmately lobed with five lobes. 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