silver maple

silver maple
1. a maple, Acer saccharinum, having leaves that are light green above and silvery white beneath.
2. the hard, close-grained wood of this tree, used for making furniture.
[1755-65]

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plant
also called  soft maple, or white maple 

      (Acer saccharinum), large, spreading tree, of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), popular as a rapid-growing shade tree. Native to eastern North America, it is widely cultivated elsewhere.

      It grows to 18 metres (60 feet)—higher under favourable conditions—with a short, stout trunk and wide, irregular crown; slender drooping branches turn upward at the tips. Young bark is smooth and gray, becoming flaky with age. The deeply cut five-lobed leaf is light green above and silvery below. Inconspicuous greenish flowers appear along the shoots before the leaves unfurl in spring. The paired, winged fruit are the largest of any maple. The seeds are food for squirrels and birds; young twigs and foliage are eaten by deer. The soft wood has been used for crating and inexpensive furniture. Syrup can be obtained from the sap but in low yield.

      Formerly a popular landscaping tree, the silver maple is now often excluded from public grounds because its brittle branches and twigs break easily, showering debris on the ground, and because it often sows numerous undesired seedlings in gardens and lawns. Among the varieties useful in landscaping are the cut-leaf silver maple (A. saccharinum ‘Laciniatum'), with deeply indented, lacy leaves, and the pyramidal silver maple (A. saccharinum ‘Pyramidale'), both of which are less liable to wind damage because they are shorter than the regular species.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • silver maple — Maple Ma ple (m[=a] p l), n. [AS. mapolder, mapulder, mapol; akin to Icel. m[ o]purr; cf. OHG. mazzaltra, mazzoltra, G. massholder.] (Bot.) A tree of the genus {Acer}, including about fifty species. {Acer saccharinum} is the {rock maple}, or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • silver maple — sidabrinis klevas statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Klevinių šeimos dekoratyvinis, medieninis augalas (Acer saccharinum), paplitęs Šiaurės Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Acer saccharinum angl. river maple; silver maple; soft maple; white maple… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • silver maple — noun Date: 1765 1. a common maple (Acer saccharinum) of eastern North America with deeply cut 5 lobed leaves that are light green above and silvery white below 2. the hard close grained but brittle light brown wood of the silver maple …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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  • silver maple — noun a common North American maple tree; five lobed leaves are light green above and silvery white beneath; source of hard close grained but brittle light brown wood • Syn: ↑Acer saccharinum • Hypernyms: ↑maple …   Useful english dictionary

  • silver maple — sil′ver ma′ple n. 1) pln a maple, Acer saccharinum, having leaves that are light green above and silvery white beneath 2) the hard, close grained wood of this tree • Etymology: 1755–65 …   From formal English to slang

  • silver maple — /sɪlvə ˈmeɪpəl/ (say silvuh maypuhl) noun a large North American tree, Acer saccharinum, frequently cultivated for its attractive foliage …  

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