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Acer saccharinum - L.

Common Name Silver Maple, River Maple, Soft Maple
Family Aceraceae
USDA hardiness 3-9
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Banks of rivers, usually in sandy soils[43, 82]. Trees are occasionally found in deep often submerged swamps[82].
Range Eastern N. America - New Brunswick to Florida, west to Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.
Edibility Rating    (3 of 5)
Other Uses    (4 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (1 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun
Acer saccharinum Silver Maple, River Maple, Soft Maple


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Acer saccharinum Silver Maple, River Maple, Soft Maple
© Derek Ramsey / derekramsey.com

 

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Summary

Sometimes misspelt as Acer saccharinium. Bloom Color: Red. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Vase.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of lolypop
Acer saccharinum is a deciduous Tree growing to 30 m (98ft) by 15 m (49ft) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3. It is in flower from February to March, and the seeds ripen from April to June. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.
It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

A. dasycarpum. A. eriocarpum.

Habitats

Woodland Garden Canopy;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Inner bark  Leaves  Sap  Seed
Edible Uses: Sweetener

The sap contains sugar and can be used as a drink or be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water[4, 61, 82, 159]. The syrup is used as a sweetener on many foods. The yield is only half that of A. saccharum[2]. It is said to be sweeter and whiter than A. saccharum[183]. The sap can be harvested in the late winter, the flow is best on warm sunny days following a frost. The best sap production comes from cold-winter areas with continental climates. Self-sown seedlings, gathered in early spring, are eaten fresh or dried for later use[177, 213]. Seeds - cooked. The wings are removed and the seeds boiled then eaten hot[213]. Good crops are produced nearly every year in the wild[229]. The seed is about 12mm long and is produced in small clusters[82]. Inner bark - cooked. It is dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread[105, 161, 177, 257]. The related Oregon Maple (Acer macrophyllum) has yellow flower clusters, sweet with nectar, eaten raw[183]. No information was found for this species. Carbon farming - Staple Crop: sugar.

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antispasmodic  Astringent  Dysentery  Ophthalmic  Skin  VD

An infusion of the bark is used in the treatment of coughs, cramps and dysentery[257]. The infusion is also applied externally to old, stubborn running sores[257]. A compound infusion is used in the treatment of 'female complaints'[257]. The inner bark is boiled and used with water as a wash for sore eyes[257]. An infusion is used internally in the treatment of diarrhoea[257]. An infusion of the root bark has been used in the treatment of gonorrhoea[257].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Companion  Dye  Fodder  Preservative  Rust  Shelterbelt  Wood

The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them[18, 20]. A fairly wind-tolerant tree, it can be used in shelterbelt plantings[200]. The branches are rather brittle, however, and can break off even in minor storms[226]. The stems are used in making baskets[257]. The boiled inner bark yields a brown dye[106]. Mixed with lead sulphate this produces a blue/black dye which can also be used as an ink[106]. A black dye is obtained from the twigs and bark[257]. The bark can be boiled, along with hemlock (Tsuga spp]) and swamp oak bark (Quercus bicolor) to make a wash to remove rust from iron and steel, and to prevent further rusting[257]. Wood - rather brittle, close-grained, hard, strong, easily worked but not durable. It weighs 32lb per cubic metre. It has many uses such as veneer, cooperage, furniture, flooring and pulp[11, 46, 82, 227, 235]. Carbon Farming - Industrial Crop: biomass. Agroforestry Services: crop shade. Fodder: bank. A dynamic accumulator gathering minerals or nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form - used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.

Special Uses

Carbon Farming  Dynamic accumulator  Food Forest

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Agroforestry Services: Crop shade  Fodder: Bank  Industrial Crop: Biomass  Management: Coppice  Management: Standard  Staple Crop: Sugar

Landscape Uses:Erosion control, Firewood, Aggressive surface roots possible, Woodland garden. Of easy cultivation, it prefers a good moist well-drained soil[1, 11] but does well in much wetter soils than most member of the genus. Succeeds in most soils including chalk[98]. Another report says that this species is liable to become chlorotic as a result of iron deficiency when it is grown on alkaline soils. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a moderately sunny position[11, 200]. Tolerates atmospheric pollution[200]. Fairly wind-tolerant[200]. The wood is brittle and branches are liable to break off the tree in high winds[11, 200]. Trees can tolerate short periods of flooding, but are very susceptible to fire[229]. A very ornamental[1] and fast growing tree[11, 98], but it is short-lived[227], seldom surviving longer than 125 - 140 years[229]. The tree has invasive roots and these often interfere with sewer pipes and drainage tiles around houses[226]. The silver maple is a bad companion plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants[18, 20]. Special Features:Attracts birds, North American native, Naturalizing. Carbon farming - Cultivation: experimental. Management: standard, coppice. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 8 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a standard with a non-suckering single trunk [1-2]. The root pattern is flat with shallow roots forming a plate near the soil surface [1-2].

Carbon Farming

  • Agroforestry Services: Crop shade  Plants providing crop shade especially trees.
  • Fodder: Bank  Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.
  • Industrial Crop: Biomass  Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels
  • Management: Coppice  Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
  • Management: Standard  Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
  • Staple Crop: Sugar  Perennial sugar crops include sugarcane and compare favorably to annuals.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

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Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the spring in a cold frame. It usually germinates immediately and by the end of summer has formed a small tree with several pairs of leaves[82]. Stored seed quickly loses its viability. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and then stratify for 2 - 4 months at 1 - 8°c. It can be slow to germinate. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until they are 20cm or more tall before planting them out in their permanent positions. Layering, which takes about 12 months, is successful with most species in this genus. Cuttings of young shoots in June or July. The cuttings should have 2 - 3 pairs of leaves, plus one pair of buds at the base. Remove a very thin slice of bark at the base of the cutting, rooting is improved if a rooting hormone is used. The rooted cuttings must show new growth during the summer before being potted up otherwise they are unlikely to survive the winter.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Plant Search

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Found In

Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

No

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed

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12

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

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Readers comment

Michael Retardo   Wed Oct 20 22:47:56 2004

Very nice find. Had to do a project for Science class and info helped alot.

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