Scientific Name:
Acer saccharinum
Pronunciation:
AY-sur sack-ur-EYE-num sak-kar-EYE-num
Common Name:
silver maple
Family Name:
Sapindaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves opposite, most 10-17cm long x 9-15cm wide, 5 deep acuminate-tipped lobes each with smaller lobes and teeth, lower surface silvery, most petioles 5-9cm long; florets apetalous, in tight clusters, pedicels 3-4mm long, open in March weeks before leaves emerge; schizocarps 3-4cm wide, thick side of wings at 50-70 degree angle, samaras 3-5cm long, May-June. Winter ID: buds opposite, rounded to ovate, red to browm, marginal hairs on scales, flower buds swell and may open by late winter.
Habit:
Spreading, Twiggy, Upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
15 - 22m
Mature Spread:
10 - 15m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Canada - eastern, U.S. - northeast, U.S. - southwest
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Humus rich, Well-drained
Water Use:
Low
Landscape Uses:
Fall interest, Shade tree, Specimen plant, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Lobed
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Palmate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Pubescent
Colour in Fall:
Yellow, Orange, Red
Shapes:
Obovate
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Hastate, Truncate
Margins:
Dentate, Palmately lobed, Serrate
Additional Info:
Spectacular fall colour, deeply lobed, silver-white below
Inflorescence Type:
Umbel, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Dioecious plant
Number Of Petals:
0
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, Green-yellow, Red
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar
Additional Info:
Less commonly monoecious
Fruit Type:
Samara, Schizocarp
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
May, Jun
Additional Info:
Showy, Schizocarps split into samara-like mericarps after dispersal
Bark Morphology:
Smooth, Deeply fissured
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey
Additional Info:
Smooth when young
Leaf Bud Type:
Rounded or globular
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Organ Modifications:
Fibrous-like roots
Propagation:
Seed, Cuttings, Grafting
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Aphids or adelgids, Caterpillar or cutworm, Galls, Heart rot, Mites, Root rot, Scale insects, Wilt (Drought tolerant)
Course(s):
- AARB 1012
- Level 3 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (NCA) Not Currently Available : needed