Acer saccharinum

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Acer saccharinum
Silber-Ahorn (Acer saccharinum).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Sapindaceae
Genus: Acer
Section: Acer sect. Rubra
Species:
A. saccharinum
Binomial name
Acer saccharinum
L. 1753
Acer saccharinum range map 1.png
Natural range of Acer saccharinum
Synonyms [2]
List
  • Acer coccineumWender. 1831 not F. Michx. 1817
  • Acer dasycarpumEhrh.
  • Acer eriocarpumMichx.
  • Acer paviaDippel
  • Acer sairaK.Koch
  • Acer tomentosumDesf.
  • Acer virginianumMill. ex Steud.
  • Argentacer saccharinum(L.) Small
  • Saccharodendron saccharinumNieuwl.
  • Sacchrosphendamnus saccharinusNieuwl.
Twig and buds MAPLE SILVER twig.jpg
Twig and buds

Acer saccharinum, commonly known as silver maple, [3] creek maple, silverleaf maple, [3] soft maple, large maple, [3] water maple, [3] swamp maple, [3] or white maple, [3] is a species of maple native to the eastern and central United States and southeastern Canada. [3] [4] It is one of the most common trees in the United States.

Contents

Although the silver maple's Latin name is similar, it should not be confused with Acer saccharum , the sugar maple. Some of the common names are also applied to other maples, especially Acer rubrum .

Description

Bark Silver-maple-bark.jpg
Bark
Silver maple leaf.jpg

The silver maple tree is a relatively fast-growing deciduous tree, commonly reaching a height of 15–25 m (49–82 ft), exceptionally 35 m (115 ft). Its spread will generally be 11–15 m (36–49 ft) wide. A 10-year-old sapling will stand about 8 m (26 ft) tall. It is often found along waterways and in wetlands, leading to the colloquial name "water maple". It is a highly adaptable tree, although it has higher sunlight requirements than other maple trees. The leaves are simple and palmately veined, 8–16 cm (3+146+14 in) long and 6–12 cm (2+144+34 in) broad, with deep angular notches between the five lobes. The 5–12 cm (2–4+34 in) long, slender stalks of the leaves mean that even a light breeze can produce a striking effect as the downy silver undersides of the leaves are exposed. The autumn color is less pronounced than in many maples, generally ending up a pale yellow, although some specimens can produce a more brilliant yellow and even orange and red colorations. The tree has a tendency to color and drop its leaves slightly earlier in autumn than other maples.

Samaras and leaves forming in April Soft Maple Helicopter.jpg
Samaras and leaves forming in April
Female flowers Acer saccharinum female flowers.jpg
Female flowers

The flowers are in dense clusters, produced before the leaves in early spring, [5] with the seeds maturing in early summer. The fruit is a schizocarp of two single-seeded, winged samaras. The wing of each samara is about 3–5 cm (1+14–2 in) long. The fruit of this species is the largest among the maples native to its range. Although the wings provide for some transport by air, the fruit are heavy and are also transported by water. Silver maple and its close cousin red maple are the only Acer species which produce their fruit crop in spring instead of fall. The seeds of both trees have no epigeal dormancy and will germinate immediately. Seed production begins at 11 years of age and large crops are produced most years. Like most maples, silver maple can be variably dioecious (separate male or female trees) or monoecious (male and female flowers on the same tree) but dioecious trees are far more common. They can also change sex from year to year. [6]

On mature trunks, the bark is gray and shaggy. On branches and young trunks, the bark is smooth and silvery gray.[ citation needed ]

Cultivation and uses

Yellow autumn color 2014-11-02 15 41 21 Silver Maple foliage during autumn along Glen Mawr Drive in Ewing, New Jersey.JPG
Yellow autumn color

Wildlife uses the silver maple in various ways. In many parts of the eastern U.S., the large rounded buds are one of the primary food sources for squirrels during the spring, after many acorns and nuts have sprouted and the squirrels' food is scarce. The seeds are also a food source for chipmunks and birds. The bark can be eaten by beaver and deer. The trunks tend to produce cavities, which can shelter squirrels, raccoons, opossums, owls and woodpeckers, and are frequented by carpenter ants. [7] Additionally, the leaves serve as a source of food for species of Lepidoptera, such as the rosy maple moth ( Dryocampa rubicunda ). [8]

The wood can be used as pulp for making paper. [9] Lumber from the tree is used in furniture, cabinets, flooring, musical instruments, crates, and tool handles, because it is light and easily worked. Because of the silver maple's fast growth, it is being researched as a potential source of biofuels. [7] Silver maple produces a sweet sap but it is generally not used by commercial sugarmakers because its sugar content is lower than in other maple species. [10]

Silver maple is often planted as an ornamental tree because of its rapid growth and ease of propagation and transplanting. It is highly tolerant of urban situations and is frequently planted next to streets. However, its quick growth produces brittle wood which is commonly damaged in storms. The silver maple's root system is shallow and fibrous and easily invades septic fields and old drain pipes; it can also crack sidewalks and foundations. It is a vigorous resprouter, and if not pruned, will often grow with multiple trunks. Although it naturally is found near water, it can grow on drier ground if planted there. In ideal natural conditions, A. saccharinum may live up to 130 years but in urban environments often 80 or less.[ citation needed ]

Following World War II, silver maples were commonly used as a landscaping and street tree in suburban housing developments and cities due to their rapid growth, especially as a replacement for the blighted American elm. However, they fell out of favor for this purpose because of brittle wood, unattractive form when not pruned or trained, and tendency to produce large numbers of volunteer seedlings. Today the tree has fallen so far out of favor that some towns and cities have banned its use as a street tree. [11] [12]

Silver maple's natural range encompasses most of the eastern US, the Midwestern US and southern Canada, that being Southern Ontario and southwestern Quebec. It is generally absent from the humid US coastal plain south of Maryland, so it is confined to the Appalachians in those states. It does not occur along the Gulf Coast or in Florida outside a few scattered locations in the panhandle.

It is commonly cultivated outside its native range, showing tolerance of a wide range of climates, and growing successfully as far north as central Norway. It also is in Anchorage, Alaska. [13] It can thrive in a Mediterranean climate, as at Jerusalem and Los Angeles, if summer water is provided. It is also grown in temperate parts of the Southern Hemisphere: Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, the southern states of Brazil (and in a few low-temperature locations within the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais).[ citation needed ]

The silver maple is closely related to the red maple ( Acer rubrum ) and can hybridise with it. The hybrid is known as the Freeman maple ( Acer × freemanii ). The Freeman maple is a popular ornamental tree in parks and large gardens, combining the fast growth of silver maple with the less brittle wood, less invasive roots, and the beautiful bright red fall foliage of the red maple. The cultivar Acer × freemaniiAutumn Blaze = 'Jeffersred' [14] has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

The silver maple is the favored host of the maple bladder gall mite Vasates quadripedes . [15]

Native American ethnobotany

Native Americans used the sap of wild trees to make sugar, as medicine, and in bread. They used the wood to make baskets and furniture. [7] An infusion of bark removed from the south side of the tree is used by the Mohegan as cough medicine. [16] The Cherokee take an infusion of the bark to treat cramps, menstrual pains, dysentery, and hives. [17] They boil the inner bark and use it with water as a wash for sore eyes. They take a hot infusion of the bark to treat measles. They use the tree to make baskets, for lumber, building material, and for carving. [17]

Related Research Articles

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Quercus palustris, also called pin oak, swamp oak, or Spanish oak, is a tree in the red oak section of the genus Quercus. Pin oak is one of the most commonly used landscaping oaks in its native range due to its ease of transplant, relatively fast growth, and pollution tolerance.

<i>Acer saccharum</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Sapindaceae

Acer saccharum, the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and the eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the primary source of maple syrup and for its brightly colored fall foliage. It may also be called "rock maple," "sugar tree," "sweet maple," or, particularly in reference to the wood, "hard maple," "birds-eye maple," or "curly maple," the last two being specially figured lumber.

<i>Acer platanoides</i> Species of flowering plant in the soapberry family Sapindaceae

Acer platanoides, commonly known as the Norway maple, is a species of maple native to eastern and central Europe and western Asia, from Spain east to Russia, north to southern Scandinavia and southeast to northern Iran. It was introduced to North America in the mid-1700s as a shade tree. It is a member of the family Sapindaceae.

<i>Acer rubrum</i> Maple tree native in North America

Acer rubrum, the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant native tree in eastern North America. The red maple ranges from southeastern Manitoba around the Lake of the Woods on the border with Ontario and Minnesota, east to Newfoundland, south to Florida, and southwest to East Texas. Many of its features, especially its leaves, are quite variable in form. At maturity, it often attains a height around 30 m (100 ft). Its flowers, petioles, twigs, and seeds are all red to varying degrees. Among these features, however, it is best known for its brilliant deep scarlet foliage in autumn.

<i>Acer pseudoplatanus</i> Species of flowering plant in the lychee family Sapindaceae

Acer pseudoplatanus, known as the sycamore in the British Isles and as the sycamore maple in the United States, is a species of maple native to Central Europe and Western Asia. It is a large deciduous, broad-leaved tree, tolerant of wind and coastal exposure.

<i>Acer negundo</i> Species of tree commonly known as boxelder maple

Acer negundo, the box elder, boxelder maple, Manitoba maple or ash-leaved maple, is a species of maple native to North America. It is a fast-growing, short-lived tree with opposite, compound leaves. It is sometimes considered a weedy or invasive species, and has been introduced to and naturalized throughout much of the world, including in South America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, much of Europe, and parts of Asia.

<i>Alnus rubra</i> Species of tree

Alnus rubra, the red alder, is a deciduous broadleaf tree native to western North America.

<i>Betula nigra</i> Species of birch

Betula nigra, the black birch, river birch or water birch, is a species of birch native to the Eastern United States from New Hampshire west to southern Minnesota, and south to northern Florida and west to Texas. It is one of the few heat-tolerant birches in a family of mostly cold-weather trees which do not thrive in USDA Zone 6 and up. B. nigra commonly occurs in floodplains and swamps.

<i>Acer macrophyllum</i> Species of maple

Acer macrophyllum, the bigleaf maple or Oregon maple, is a large deciduous tree in the genus Acer. It is native to western North America. In addition to uses by animals, it is of some culinary and woodworking interest.

<i>Betula alleghaniensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the birch family Betulaceae

Betula alleghaniensis, the yellow birch, golden birch, or swamp birch, is a large tree and an important lumber species of birch native to northeastern North America. Its vernacular names refer to the golden color of the tree's bark. In the past its scientific name was Betula lutea.

<i>Acer grandidentatum</i> Species of maple

Acer grandidentatum, commonly called bigtooth maple or western sugar maple, is a species of maple native to interior western North America. It occurs in scattered populations from western Montana to central Texas in the United States and south to Coahuila in northern Mexico.

<i>Fraxinus latifolia</i> Species of ash

Fraxinus latifolia, the Oregon ash, is a member of the ash genus Fraxinus, native to western North America.

<i>Acer spicatum</i> Species of maple

Acer spicatum, the mountain maple, dwarf maple, moose maple, or white maple, is a species of maple native to northeastern North America from Saskatchewan to Newfoundland, and south to Pennsylvania. It also grows at high elevations in the southern Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia.

<i>Dryocampa rubicunda</i> Species of moth

Dryocampa rubicunda, the rosy maple moth, is a small North American moth in the family Saturniidae, also known as the great silk moths. It was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793. The species is known for its wooly body and pink and yellow coloration, which varies from cream or white to bright pink or yellow. Males have bushier antennae than females, which allow them to sense female pheromones for mating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maple</span> Genus of flowering plants

Acer is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, along with lychee and horse chestnut. There are approximately 132 species, most of which are native to Asia, with a number also appearing in Europe, northern Africa, and North America. Only one species, Acer laurinum, extends to the Southern Hemisphere. The type species of the genus is the sycamore maple, Acer pseudoplatanus, the most common maple species in Europe. Maples usually have easily recognizable palmate leaves and distinctive winged fruits. The closest relatives of the maples are the horse chestnuts. Maple syrup is made from the sap of some maple species. It is one of the most common genera of trees in Asia. Many maple species are grown in gardens where they are valued for their autumn colour.

<i>Prunus emarginata</i> Species of tree

Prunus emarginata, the bitter cherry or Oregon cherry, is a species of Prunus native to western North America, from British Columbia south to Baja California, and east as far as western Wyoming and New Mexico. It is often found in recently disturbed areas or open woods on nutrient-rich soil.

<i>Castanea pumila</i> Species of tree

Castanea pumila, commonly known as the Allegheny chinquapin, American chinquapin or dwarf chestnut, is a species of chestnut native to the southeastern United States. The native range is from Massachusetts and New York to Maryland and extreme southern New Jersey and southeast Pennsylvania south to central Florida, west to eastern Texas, and north to southern Missouri and Kentucky. The plant's habitat is dry sandy and rocky uplands and ridges mixed with oak and hickory to 1000 m elevation. It grows best on well-drained soils in full sun or partial shade.

<i>Acer palmatum</i> Species of maple

Acer palmatum, commonly known as Japanese maple, palmate maple, or smooth Japanese maple (Korean: danpungnamu, 단풍나무, Japanese: irohamomiji, イロハモミジ, or momiji,, is a species of woody plant native to Korea, Japan, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. Many different cultivars of this maple have been selected and they are grown worldwide for their large variety of attractive forms, leaf shapes, and spectacular colors.

This is a list of plants documented to have been traditionally used by the Cherokee, and how they are used.

<i>Acer <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> freemanii</i> Species of maple

Acer × freemanii, Freeman maple or Freeman's maple, is a naturally occurring hybrid maple that is the result of a cross between Acer rubrum and Acer saccharinum. Wild specimens are found in eastern North America where the parent species overlap. The species is named for Oliver M. Freeman of the U.S. National Arboretum who hybridized A. rubrum with A. saccharinum in 1933. The fall foliage is a striking orange-red. It has many commercially available cultivars and is frequently used as a street tree.

References

  1. Barstow, M.; Crowley, D. (2017). "Acer saccharinum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T193862A2287256. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T193862A2287256.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. "Acer saccharinum". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gabriel, William J. (1990). "Acer saccharinum". In Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H. (eds.). Hardwoods. Silvics of North America. Vol. 2. Washington, D.C.: United States Forest Service (USFS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) via Southern Research Station.
  4. "Acer saccharinum". State-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
  5. Jepson Flora Project (ed.). "Key to Acer". Jepson eFlora. The Jepson Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley.
  6. "Silber-Ahorn: Expertenwissen für den Garten". www.naturadb.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  7. 1 2 3 Geyer, W. A.; J. Dickerson; J. M. Row (2010). "Plant Guide for Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum L.)" (PDF). Plant Guide. Manhattan, KS: U.S. Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
  8. "Dryocampa rubicunda (rosy maple moth)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  9. "Silver Maple, Acer saccharinum L." Maple Field Guide. MapleInfo.org. Archived from the original on 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
  10. Geyer, W. A.; J. Dickerson; J. M. Row (2010). "Plant Guide for Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum L.)" (PDF). USDA- Natural Resources Conservation Service.
  11. "Approved Street Tree List for Denver's Public Rights-of-way" (PDF). denvergov.org. Denver Office of the City Forester. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
  12. "Prohibited Street Trees/Shrubs". cityoflodi.us. City of Lodi. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
  13. Tony. "Trees Near Their Limits -- Alaska" . Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  14. "Acer × freemanii Autumn Blaze = 'Jeffersred'". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  15. Redfern M.; Shirley P.R.; Bloxham M. (2011). British Plant Galls (Second ed.). Preston Montford: Field Studies Council. p. 23. ISBN   978-1-85153-284-1.
  16. Tantaquidgeon, Gladys. "1928 Mohegan Medicinal Practices, Weather-Lore and Superstitions". SI-BAE Annual Report #43: 264-270 (p. 269)
  17. 1 2 Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey, 1975, Cherokee Plants and Their Uses -- A 400 Year History, Sylva, N.C.: Herald Publishing Co., page 44