Silver Maple

Acer saccharinum

The Silver Maple has soft, silvery leaves that flutter in the wind. This tree grows fast and loves wet places!

Habitat: Floodplains and riverbanks

Appearance

The Silver Maple has distinct deeply lobed leaves with silvery-white undersides, giving it a shimmering appearance in the breeze. Its bark is smooth and gray when young, becoming shaggy with long, peeling strips as it matures, revealing reddish-brown inner bark.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderSapindalesFamilySapindaceaeGenusAcer

Silver Maple

Interesting facts

Its winged seeds, called 'samaras,' spin like tiny helicopters as they fall to the ground.

Sap from a Silver Maple can be boiled down to make maple syrup, just like Sugar Maples!

Silver Maples are super speedy growers, often one of the fastest growing trees in North America!

The tree's name comes from its leaves, which shimmer silver when seen from below in the wind!

Special abilities

Silver Maple can quickly sprout seeds in early spring floods, helping it colonize new riverbanks fast.

Silver Maple has shallow, spreading roots that efficiently soak up water from floodplains and moist soils.

Silver Maple has flexible branches that can bend and sway in strong winds, reducing the risk of snapping.

Measurements & details

Height: 15-35 m
Canopy Spread: 10-20 m
Edible: Yes
Trunk Diameter: 50-150 cm
Lifespan: 80-130 years
Fruit Type: Samara
Growth Rate: Fast
Leaf Type: Deciduous

Ecological connections

eats

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Sciurus carolinensis

Feeds on samara seeds and buds.

eats

Eastern Tent Caterpillar

Malacosoma americanum

Larvae munch on leaves.

eats

White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Browses on young shoots and twigs.

shelters

Hairy Woodpecker

Picoides villosus

Builds nests in tree cavities.

Traits

Deciduous

Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.

Broadleaf Tree

Broadleaf trees are angiosperms characterized by flat, wide leaves that are typically shed annually in temperate climates.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.