Silver maple
Acer saccharinum

Family: Sapindaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.

There are about 120-150 Acer species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It is native to E North America. It does best in moist well drained soils. They can tolerate some flooding. It cannot tolerate much shade. It suits hardiness zones 4-8. Arboretum Tasmania.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, Korea, Middle East, North America, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, USA

How it is used for food

The sap of the tree is used as a source of sugar. The inner bark can be cooked, dried, ground into flour then used to thicken soups. The leaves of self sown seedlings can be eaten fresh. The seeds with the wings removed can be boiled and eaten.

Edible parts

Seeds, leaves, sap, bark

How it is grown

Seed should be pre-soaked for 24 hours then kept cold at 0-8°C for 2-4 months to assist them to grown. Seed can be sown fresh if green seeds are used. Layering or cuttings can be used. Stem cuttings shoot easily.

Trees are fast growing but only last 125 to 140 years.

Its other names

Local names

River maple, Soft maple, White maple

Synonyms

Acer dasycarpum Ehrh.; Acer eriocarpum Michx.; and several others