|
Photographer: Dennis W. Woodland
|
Family Aceraceae
Acer saccharinum L.
silver maple, soft maple
Acer: the classical Latin name for the maple
saccharinum: sweet
|
|
| Status: | Native |
| Plant: | perennial tree usually 40'-60' tall but up to 120' tall and up to 5' in diameter; bark light gray, separating into large plates |
| Flower: | greenish to reddish, blooming Feb.-May much before leaves open usually in very early spring, in short clusters |
| Fruit: | matures in spring and dropping before the leaves are full  |
| Leaf: | opposite, undivided, silvery below, deeply 5-lobed, end lobe with narrowed bottom; indentations (sinuses) between main lobes sharp |
| Habitat: | moist to wet; often on riverbanks |
| (Glossary) |
|
