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The Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) is a species of maple found in the eastern United States and adjacent parts of Canada. It is a relatively fast-growing tree, commonly reaching a height of 20-30 m, exceptionally 35 m. It is often found along waterways and in wetlands, leading to the colloquial name 'water maple'.
The leaves are palmate, 8-16 cm long and 6-12 cm broad, with deep angular notches between the five lobes. The 5-12 cm long, slender stalks of the leaves mean that even a light breeze can produce a striking effect as the silver undersides of the leaves are exposed.
The flowers are in small panicles, produced before the leaves in early spring, with the seeds maturing in early summer. The seeds are winged, in pairs, small (5-10 mm diameter), the wing about 3-5 cm long.
On mature trunks, the bark is gray and shaggy. On branches and young trunks, the bark is smooth and silvery gray.
The Silver Maple has brittle wood, and is commonly damaged in storms. The roots are shallow and fibrous and easily invade septic fields and old drain pipes. It is, nonetheless, popular as a street and yard tree because of its rapid growth and ease of propagation and transplanting. It is cultivated as far north as Edmonton, Alberta and south to Orlando, Florida.
Silver Maple is closely related to Red Maple, and can hybridise with it, the hybrid being known as the Freeman Maple (Acer x freemanii). 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 and less invasive roots of Red Maple.
External link
UConn Plant Database: Silver Maple (http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/a/acesac/acesac1.html)
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