Acer saccharinum
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Silver Maple
Sapindaceae
Plant Specifics
| Form: | Tree | |
| Size: | 75-100 ft tall by 35-50 ft wide | |
| Life Span: | Long-lived perennial | |
| Flower Color: | Red turning greenish-yellow | |
| Fruit Color: | Brown | |
| Phenology: | Deciduous. Flowers before leafing out in late winter - early spring. | |
| Noted for: | Fall color |
Landscaping
| Recommended Uses: | Specimen tree. Frequently used as a street tree as tolerant of root disturbance. Fall color is yellow. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Considerations: | Its prolific root system is notorious for invading and clogging leaky underground drainage and water lines. Susceptible to wind or ice damage due to its brittle wood. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Propagation: | Can be grown from purchased saplings or from seed. Also softwood cuttings. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Availability: | Native nurseries, FNPS plant sales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Full Sun, Part Shade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| (Usually moist, occasional inundation ----- to ----- Not wet but not extremely dry) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: | Usually moist, occasional inundation ----- to ----- Not wet but not extremely dry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance: | Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil or other substrate: | Loam, Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil pH: | Broadly tolerant | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ecology
| Wildlife: |
The are important food for squirrels during late winter/early spring. Budburst comes during the critical late winter-spring period when stored food supplies of squirrels are exhausted. | |
| Insects: | Attracts bees. Larval host for Cecropia silkmoth (Hyalophora cecropia). | |
| Native Habitats: | Floodplains. |
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
8A 8B
USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures
Comments
| Ethnobotany: | Sap could be used for sugaring, but it's only half as sweet as the sugar maple. | |
| General Comments: | Fall foliage color is yellow. While used extensively as a street tree in the north, this fast growing species is relatively weak. |