FNPS Plant Database

Acer saccharinum

silver maple
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

silver maple

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Acer saccharinum

Family:

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.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

Can be grown from purchased saplings or from seed. Also softwood cuttings.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Soil pH:

Broadly tolerant

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars, Mammals

Attracts bees.


Larval host for Cecropia silkmoth ( Hyalophora cecropia ).

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.  





Important as a beaver food source in areas where it is common. May be important to wood ducks.

Native Habitats:

Floodplains.

Natural Range in Florida:

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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.

Citations:

Burns, Russell M., and Barbara H. Honkala [Technical coordinators]. (1990). Silvics of North America: Volume 2. Hardwoods. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook 654. ( https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/1548 ). Accessed 2025.


Huegel, Craig N. (2010). Native Plant Landscaping for Florida Wildlife. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


University of Tennessee Extension Service. (2010). Desired pH Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants. ( https://plantsciences.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2021/10/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf ). Accessed 2025. University of Tennessee Extension, Knoxville.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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