875 BR Maple-Silver

The silver maple (Acer saccharinum) is a large, fast-growing deciduous tree native to eastern and central North America, known for the striking silvery-white undersides of its leaves and its preference for moist, riparian habitats. It is also one of the most common trees in the United States.

Key Characteristics

Foliage: The leaves are simple, opposite, and deeply divided into five lobes with V-shaped sinuses and a toothed margin. The upper surface is light green, while the underside is a distinctive silvery-white, which shimmers in the wind and gives the tree its common name. The fall color is typically an unremarkable pale yellow.

Bark: On young trees, the bark is smooth and gray or silvery. As the tree matures, the bark becomes shaggy, developing long, thin, flaky scales with orange furrows underneath.

Size and Growth Rate: It is the fastest-growing of the maple species and can reach heights of 50 to 80 feet, occasionally over 100 feet. A 10-year-old sapling can be as tall as 26 feet.

Flowers and Fruit: The tree produces clusters of small, greenish-yellow to reddish flowers in early spring before the leaves emerge. These are followed by the largest samaras (winged seeds, commonly called "helicopters") of any native maple, which ripen in late spring or early summer.

Habitat: Naturally, it thrives in wet soils on floodplains, along the edges of rivers and streams, and in low-lying woods. It is highly adaptable and can tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, including poor, compacted urban soils and seasonal flooding.