Silver Maple

Acer saccharinum L.

          

                

All photographs are copyrighted and are the property of E. Brunner.

Family:  Aceraceae

Native or Introduced to Illinois: native 

Natural Habit in Illinois:  low and bottomland woods; margins of ponds and lakes

Leaf:  The silver maple has opposite leaves on the stem, 3 to 7 inches long and 3 to 6 inches wide with five lobes.  The lobes are sharp pointed and deeply cut.  The leaves are bright green above and pale to silvery white beneath.  The leaf stems are long, slender, smooth and reddish.

Flower:  Late in the winter, many clusters of showy flower buds appear on the tree.

Fruit:  The fruit is a v-shaped samara (winged seed) 1 to 3 inches long on slender, flexible, threadlike stems about 1 inch long.  It ripens in the late spring.

Twig:  The twigs are smooth, shiny and reddish in color.

Bark:  On branches the bark is smooth and grayish with a tinge of pink.  On large branches and trunks it is dark gray, scaly and shaggy with many loose, scaly plates.  It is not deeply furrowed.

Size/Form/Shape:  It is a large tree, often attaining a height of 60 to 80feet and a diameter of 3 feet or more.  It can be planted on a variety of soils,and was planted extensively for windbreaks and woodlots by the early settlers.  When grown in the open, it forms a short trunk dividing into a number of largebranches.  When grown with other timber it forms a long, clear stem with athin crown.

Other:  Forest Buffers: Silver maple is a natural for use in riparian forest buffer installations due to its adaptation to such sites.  However it should be used as a relatively minor percentage of the species mix because of its tendency to outgrow other species and mature at an early age.  Where silver maple is already present in nearby stands, it should not be planted as it will show up in short order anyway.  This species is much preferred to box elder in any planting.

 Wildlife: Silver maple is not notable for its attractiveness to wildlife, but as a source of fast shading, large woody debris, and litter in streams the species has few rivals.  It seems to be a preferred nesting species for Baltimore orioles.

 Biofuels: The species is one of only a few that has the growth rate for serious consideration for biofuel production.  Though shrub willow and poplar hybrids are currently receiving greater attention, silver maple has been tested for this use in the Midwest.

County Distribution Map for Illinois:  

Sources for the Sullivan Middle School Tree Identification Guide were obtained though the use of the following sites:

• Illinois Plant Information Network (ILPIN) @ http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/delaware/ilpin/ilpin.html#Background
• List of Woody Plants Native or Naturalized in Illinois @ http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/woody.html
• Tree Species @ http://ostermiller.org/tree/species.html
• Index to Eastern/Central Trees @ http://www.arborday.org/trees/ECtreelist.html
• ISU Forestry Extension Identification of Common Trees of Iowa @ http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Pages/tree/
• Key to Leaves of Virginia Trees @ http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/forsite/key/intro.htm
• List of Native Trees for Use Along Roadsides in Illinois @ http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/treetable.html
• The PLANTS Database @ http://plants.usda.gov/

The information below is from the National Arbor Day Foundation.  This information can be viewed in the original (source) form by visiting The National Arbor Day Foundation at http://www.arborday.org.

GROWING REQUIREMENTS/RATE
Sun Exposure:  This maple does well in Partial shade to full sun.
Soil Type:  The Silver Maple grows in wide range of soils; loamy sandy and wet. Prefers moist, slightly acid soil and is drought tolerant.
Moisture:  Wide range of moisture conditions. Can withstand some flooding and has moderate drought tolerance.
Growth Rate:  This tree grows at a fast growth rate.

Hardiness Zones:  3 - 9
This maple can be expected to grow in the zones shown in color in the arborday.org zone map.