Silver Maple
1640 - 9th Ave. North
The Silver Maple Acer saccharinum has a leaf that is deeply lobed, more like a "Canadian" maple leaf than that of our native Manitoba Maple. When it's windy, you can see the silvery, shimmering underside of its leaves that give the tree its name. The autumn colour is less pronounced than in many maples, generally ending up a pale yellow. Although some specimens can produce a more brilliant yellow.
Younger trees have a distinctive smooth light-grey bark. As they mature, the bark becomes rough with long ridges. The flowers are in dense clusters, produced before the leaves in early spring, with the seeds maturing in early summer.
The Silver Maple is a native tree found on wet sites in mixed and deciduous forests throughout eastern North America, where growth is rapid and it can live to 130 years or more. It produces a sweet sap which is not used for commercial syrup because its sugar content is lower than in other maple species. Although only marginally hardy on the prairies, these maples continue to be successfully planted and are enjoyed as large ornamental shade trees.
Alternate location: 2213 Haultain Cres.