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Silver maple

Acer saccharinum

A fast-growing maple of riverbanks and older neighborhoods, with deeply cut leaves that flash silver in the wind.

Fall color
Yellow
Turns
Mid to late
Leaves
Opposite (in pairs)
Size
4–7 in. across
Found in
New England & New York, Great Lakes & North Woods, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Appalachians, Southeast

How to recognize it

  1. Five lobes separated by very deep cuts that reach nearly to the center of the leaf.
  2. The lobes are narrow and edged with large, uneven teeth.
  3. The underside is silvery white, so a tree flickers green and silver in a breeze.
  4. Leaves grow in pairs directly across from each other on the twig.
  5. Fall color is usually a pale yellow, and the leaves often fade to tan quickly.

Where to find it

Look for it along rivers and in floodplains, and as a big, fast-grown shade tree in older neighborhoods.

Easy to confuse with

Red maple

Shallower notches, with the lobes still broad near the center, and it turns brilliant red instead of pale yellow.

Worth knowing

Silver maple is one of the fastest-growing trees in the East, which made it a popular choice for yards and streets. Its wood is weak, though, and its limbs often break in ice and wind storms. In the wild it grows along rivers and in floodplains, and its winged seeds are among the first of any tree to ripen, in late spring.

Common questions

What color does silver maple turn in fall?

Silver maple usually turns a pale, buttery yellow, sometimes with a touch of orange, and the leaves often fade to tan soon after.

When does silver maple change color?

From the middle to the later part of the local season, after red maples nearby have turned.

How can you tell silver maple from red maple?

Red maple: Shallower notches, with the lobes still broad near the center, and brilliant red fall color. Silver maple: Very deep cuts that reach nearly to the center, a silvery white underside, and pale yellow fall color.

Where does silver maple grow?

In the lower 48, look for it in New England & New York, the Great Lakes & North Woods, the Midwest, the Mid-Atlantic, the Appalachians, and the Southeast, especially along rivers and in older neighborhoods.

See where the color is peaking today.

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