Silver maple enriches the garden as a feast for the senses. In addition to its diverse visual attributes, the rare maple species with its plant sap gives us a sweet treat in the form of maple syrup. This profile invites you to get to know the North American character better.

The silver maple is very hardy

Characteristics of the silver maple - botanical systematics and properties in brief

Despite its qualities as a bee pasture and a reliable winter hardiness, silver maple is rarely found in Europe. Therefore, the decorative deciduous tree is interesting for gardeners with a penchant for rarities. The following profile summarizes the most important attributes:

  • Name of the species: silver maple (Acer saccharinum)
  • Deciduous tree with a spreading crown of overhanging branches
  • Origin: Eastern North America
  • Height of growth: 15 to 25 m, rarely up to 36 m
  • Annual growth: 35 to 50 cm per year in the first 25 to 30 years
  • Leaf: 5-lobed, deeply incised, light green on top, with silvery hairs underneath
  • Flower: green (male), red (female) with high nectar content
  • Flowering time: February and March before the leaves sprout
  • Fruits: winged nutlets, acute-angled, 3-5 cm long
  • Root Growth: Shallow roots with far-reaching main roots
  • Hardiness: up to - 32 degrees Celsius
  • Use in Europe: Park and street tree
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady, sheltered from the wind

In its North American homeland, the silver maple is primarily cultivated for the extraction of the plant sap, in order to make maple syrup from it.

Make maple syrup yourself - is that possible?

From the age of 40, your silver maple will be useful as a supplier of sugar-sweet syrup. In order to get to the plant sap, the specialist trade offers special taps with collection containers. Harvest time is in early spring, when night-time temperatures hover around freezing and the daytime is already pleasantly warm.

On the south side of the trunk, drill a hole in the bark at a height of 30 to 100 cm, suitable for the size of the tap. As a rule of thumb, a silver maple will give off 40 liters of sap by the end of the season, which can be used to make 1 liter of maple syrup.

tips

If the size of the area allows, a silver maple should not be missing in the natural garden. As early as the end of February/beginning of March, the crown puts on its blossoms and provides bees, bumblebees and other insects with a lavish buffet of nectar. Associated with sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), Norway maple (Acer platanoides) and field maple (Acer campestre), the maple group makes an important contribution to the survival of the highly threatened pollinators.

Category:

Trees