Acer saccharinum
(Silver Maple)
“Acer saccharinum” by Andreas Rockstein is licensed under CC BY 2.0
“20090811_NelsonChilco_AcerSaccharinumLaciniata_Cutler_DSC04288” by Wendy Cutler is licensed under CC BY 2.0
A medium tree usually less than 60′ rarely 80′ in S.E. Texas, rounded crown.
Leaves: deciduous, opposite, simple, circular, 6″ to 7″ in diameter, deeply palmately 5 lobed, heart shaped or flattened, margin coarsely serrate, pale green above, silvery beneath.
Flowers: Polygamous; appearing before the leaves, in dense, sessile, axillary clusters in previous year’s twigs, stamens, 3 to 7, with red anthers, pistil, short, pubescent, with 2 conspicuous, divergent styles.
Fruit: wrinkled reddish brown, double samara with divergent wings, 1″ to 2″ long.
Twigs: Slender, brittle, lustrous, reddish brown, many conspicuous lenticels, terminal buds, ovate, blunt, red, 1/5″ long with 2 to 4 pairs of overlapping scales.
Bark: At first thin, smooth, silvery, long loose scaly plates at maturity.
Comments: Largely restricted to rich, moist bottomland sites, planted as an ornamental shade tree, a noxious species. Not recommended for planting.
“new leaves and early seeds on silver maple wp park 130509 closer” by Eli Sagor is licensed under CC BY 2.0
“Silver maple, Acer saccharinum” by Eli Sagor is licensed under CC BY 2.0