Silver maple is a long-liver. Beautiful fast-growing trees can live up to 130-150 years. This majestic tree has another name - sugar maple (sugar).
Silver maple habitat
The natural habitat of this tree is the eastern lands of North America and the expanses of Canada bordering them. The silver maple tree prefers to grow in moist lowlands, along river and lake coasts with rich soils. Occasionally, individual specimens are found on hills. Trees climb to a height of 30-600 meters. In arid places, they grow only near water.
Sugar maple height
Sugar maple grows fast. The height of the tree fluctuates around 27-40 meters. Every year, each tree is able to add about fifty centimeters in height, and about forty centimeters in width.
Biological description of a tree
Cylindrical or rounded in shape and wide and sparse crown formed by drooping branches. The branches at the beginning of the development of trees rush down, and then, heading up, beautifully bend in an arched shape.
The branches are equipped with V-shaped leaf scars (exactly the same has a red maple). True, the branches of the silver maple are more durable, often painted dark brown, and when broken, they emit an unpleasant odor. Young trees have bright red branches, while mature trees are silvery gray.
The length of the opposite five-lobed deeply dissected green above, bluish-silver leaves below is 8-16 cm, and the width is 6-12 cm. In autumn, the foliage blazes with yellow-golden and orange colors.
Young specimens are covered with smoky gray smooth bark. As the trees mature, the bark darkens and is covered with long, narrow, flaky scales. Silver maple has a tap root system. Lateral roots, branching out, form a superficial fibrous system.
Silver Maple Trunk
A short trunk of a tree (maple), covered with silvery bark, reaches one and a half meters in girth. The crown is formed on the trunk, divided into several powerful base branches. Large branches are covered with drooping shoots on all sides.
Flowering and fruiting
The plant is endowed with red-brown buds that cover large scales. Flower buds tend to be in conspicuous clusters. The flowering of the trees begins in mid-spring, before the leaves bloom. The flowers are greenish-red. During the flowering period, the movement of sugary, culinary juice begins.
Lionfish - that's what the silver maple fruit is called. tree fruitassembled from two identical wings in which the seeds are hidden. The length of pairwise connected wings is 3-7 cm, and the width is 12 mm. Crescent lionfish ripen in late spring.
Sugary maple requires high humidity to germinate. In dry times, they lose their germination. Fruits that fall into moist soil immediately germinate. Sprouts may appear within a day. Seeds that fall into moist soil after rain have the best germination.
The seeds of this plant are heavy. An interconnected pair of wings helps them move in space (hence the answer to the question "what is the name of the maple fruit" becomes obvious). Water flows also play a significant role in the distribution of lionfish, facilitating their movement over long distances.
Growing Silver Maple
Silver maple grows well in fertile areas with good drainage. He needs a lighted place with well-moistened, fine-textured soil. On sufficiently moist soil, trees take root easily. They have an average tolerance for saline soils. Due to the ability to exist in wet places, the plant easily withstands prolonged floods. It dominates the woodlands, competing with poplar, beech and ash.
Mature trees are resistant to hard winter frosts. Young shoots in severe frosts sometimes freeze over. Trees are not able to withstand the onslaught of powerful winds and excessive snowfalls. Their fragile branches break under the influenceadverse natural phenomena.
Sugar maple easily withstands unfavorable environmental conditions. He is not afraid of smoke and gas contamination of air masses. It is suitable for organizing landscape gardening complexes in cities. Sugar maple trees are affected by several pests. They suffer from leaf weevil, whitefly and mealybug.
Decorative maple
Silver maple has several varieties. It is multi-leaved, tripartite and pyramidal. In addition, there is a weeping form and the Viera variety. Trees differ in the shape of leaves and branches.
A pyramidal maple does not exceed 20 meters in height. Vertical branches form a columnar wide crown. Fall foliage glows deep red. Maple Vieri has a spreading crown, covered with greenish-silvery leaves. Its fragile branches have increased fragility. The Borns Graciosa variety is endowed with a light crown, studded with huge rugged leaves. The height of the trees does not exceed 15 meters.
Using silver maple
Silver maple is often used to form original compositions on the streets, in landscape gardening complexes. It is good as a tapeworm and in group plantings. It is planted in estates, gardens and parks near water bodies and on hills, getting spectacular arrangements.
Maple wood is used in the manufacture of furniture. The plant produces maple sugar, syrup and beer.
