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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 are 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 are 

 sharp-angled. 



The flowers are 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 bark on branches 

 and young stems is smooth 

 and gray; on old trunks it 

 becomes grayish - brown 

 and separates in thin flakes 

 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 moderately hard, rather brittle, close-grained, 

 light-brown with wide white sapwood. It is used in the 

 manufacture of paper, berry baskets, boxboards and many 

 small household articles. 



The Silver Maple is found from New Brunswick to Flor- 

 ida and west to the Dakotas and Oklahoma. In New York 

 this tree is generally distributed throughout the State except 

 the higher Adirondacks. Moist to wet soils, stream banks, 

 and borders of ponds and lakes are its favorite 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 sire. 



The twigs are slender, glossy, 



