365 Urban Species. #124: Silver Maple

[urbpan]

Urban species #124: Silver maple Acer saccharinum

Silver maple is easily distinguished by its shaggy bark and its jagged and deeply indented leaves, whose whitish undersides give the tree its name. Silver maple was commonly chosen for urban plantings in the past, but is being used less often in recent years. On the one hand, the tree grows fast, matures to a great height, and is tolerant of urban conditions. On the other hand, its wood is brittle, and large limbs frequently break off in storms. Fear of lawsuits is a primary cause of this tree's decline in cities, according to The Urban Tree Book.

Silver maple is native to eastern North America, naturally occurring in areas with moist soils. Many animals are drawn to it for food and shelter, including squirrels, muskrats (who eat flowers and fruit that fall into the water), and birds. The fruit it produces is the familiar paired winged seeds unique to maples, and the silver maple's fruit is the largest of the genus.



Silver maple's typical growth form is a y shaped forked trunk.




The leaves are the typical maple leaf shape, but are distinctively deeply indented and angular.


The wings on the fruit are veined, and often asymmetrical.

Comments

[agelena.livejournal.com]

Aaahhh...I think you've helped me identify the trees around my apartment. I don't think they're silver maple, but those double-winged seed pods are only on maples in general, you say? Yep.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Yes indeedy. I should be doing a few more maples in the next few weeks, and some more in fall. Not sure what kind of maples you have in your area--probably some different species than in Boston.

Double-winged seed pods

[vampyrusgirl.livejournal.com]

'Noses' to me, 'airplanes' to my husband. ;)

Re: Double-winged seed pods

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

'samaras' to the botanically inclined

Re: Double-winged seed pods

[vampyrusgirl.livejournal.com]

J never understood the 'noses' thing. Did you do that as a kid? Or do I have to explain.

Re: Double-winged seed pods

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you have to explain.

Re: Double-winged seed pods

[turil.livejournal.com]

You can open up the seedpod part of one of the wings, take out the sead, and use the sticky lining to stick an extra long green nose on the bridge of your own nose.

Re: Double-winged seed pods

[droserary.livejournal.com]

I know what you're talking about! I used to split the samara open, remove the seed, and stick it on my nose. Provided for some entertainment. We would also gather armfulls and throw them high in their air and let them fall on us. Who needs tv and videogames when you've got maples?

Re: Double-winged seed pods

[vampyrusgirl.livejournal.com]

Yup! The fun we had before gameboy! :)

Re: Double-winged seed pods

[artemii.livejournal.com]

we called them "helicopters" for the way they seemed to gently hover and land.

we put them on our noses a la droserary's instructions.

urbpan, is "red maple" considered a synonymous common name for "silver maple"?

Re: Double-winged seed pods

[vampyrusgirl.livejournal.com]

Yes, helicopters! That's what my husband used to call them, too! :)

The nose thing is one of those weird child-culture things that just passes around.

Re: Double-winged seed pods

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Nope. Red maple is a different native maple, with differently shaped leaves (less deeply indented between the points), and some part of it--leaves, flowers, fruit--is red all times of the year.

I'll likely post an entry on it some time in the fall.