Maple, Silver

Here we have the Silver Maple, or Acer saccharinum, often called the "poor man's tree" due to its low cost at nurseries. While it is fast-growing, reaching up to 80 feet tall, the Silver Maple is one of the least durable lawn trees and typically lives no more than 125 years. The large, deeply 5-lobed leaves are nearly 6 inches wide with silvery white undersides. Unlike Red Maples, these twigs have an unpleasant odor. In spring, it produces the largest fruit of any native maple (paired green samaras over 2 inches long) before the leaves emerge. Young trees have smooth gray bark, while mature Silver Maples develop medium-gray bark with wide, loose plates. It thrives in moist bottomlands and full sun but is tolerant of drought and heat. Silver Maple often forms cavities, making it excellent for nesting wildlife, but it requires regular pruning to maintain structural strength.