90 



Common Trees 



SILVER MAPLE 



Acer saccharinum, Linnaeus 



THE Silver Maple, also called White Maple, Soft Maple 

 and River Maple, is one of the best known American 

 trees on account of its wide natural range and its general 

 use for shade and ornamental planting. 



The leaves arc simple, opposite, 5-lobed, silvery white on 

 lower surface, divided by 

 deep clefts with rounded 

 bases. The base of the 

 clefts of the Red Maple 

 arc sharp-angled. 



The flowers arc reddish 

 to crimson, occur in com- 

 pact clusters along twigs 

 early in spring before the 

 leaves appear. 



The fruit is a typical 

 two-winged maple key. 

 The wings are 2 to 3 

 inches long and wide- 

 spreading. The fruit ma- 

 tures in early summer. It 

 falls to the ground shortly 

 after maturing and germi- 

 nates the same year. 



The bark on branches 

 and young stems is smooth 



and gray; on old trunks it becomes grayish brown and sepa- 

 rates in thin flakes. The twigs are slender, glossy, reddish- 

 brown, have disagreeable odor if broken, are marked with 

 many light dots. The buds are round, red, covered with 6 

 to 8 visible scales, clustered in groups along twigs. 



The wood is soft to moderately hard, rather brittle, close- 

 grained, light brown with wide, white sapwood. It is used 

 in the manufacture of paper, berry baskets, box-boards and 

 many small household articles. 



The Silver Maple is found from New Brunswick to 

 Florida and west to the Dakotas and Oklahoma. It is gen- 

 erally distributed throughout Ohio. Moist to wet soils, 

 stream banks, and borders of ponds and lakes are its favo- 

 rite home. This tree grows rapidly and may reach a height 

 of 80 feet and diameter of 3 feet. Formerly it was planted 

 extensively for ornamental purposes, but now it is rarely 

 planted for it is short-lived, has many enemies, and suffers 

 much from the wind, snow and ice. 



SILVER MAPLE 

 One-fourth natural size. 



