Maple Tree Identification

[Steve Stube]

I was told by the previous owner that this Maple tree was nursery stock he planted in 1959. I have referred to it as hard Maple but I have no idea what kind of Maple it is. The leaves are certainly maple leaf shape but smaller than other maple tree leafs - at least the variety I see common to this area. The bark is distinctly different from other Maples too and I hope will be a clue to one or more of you so you might tell me what kind of Maple I have. I link 2 photos so I don't loose any size or mess with the width here.

The whole tree (this Spring), the larger one near center with the short trunk;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v19/ceethese/HardMaple1May2005.jpg

Closer look at the bark/trunk;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v19/ceethese/HardMaple2May2005.jpg

I'd be thankful for your help in identifying this Maple species.

[John Shuk]

Silver maple I think.

[Jon Farley]

Silver Maple

[Steve Stube]

Thanks John. Come to think of it I planted a Silver Maple at a previous house about 1971. It didn't have the banana skin bark on it when I left 6 years later but maybe today (34 years later) it will. I can swing by the old house and take a look, if it is still there - the tree I mean.

BTW, that Silver Maple had very large leaves compared to this tree, but I'll check just the same. 2 for Silver Maple, is there more than one type of Silver Maple?

[Andy London]

I live in the heart of maple country and can honestly say I have never seen a maple with a trunk or bark like that one. Silver maple does have smaller leaves however they will be silver and you will see upsrings of maple everywhere if it's silver as trees will start growing off the roots.

There are a lot of species, perhaps it was a tree that was not indegenous to your area.

Andy

[Steve Stube]

Another point I can add to the description is that the smaller maple leaves from this tree drop later in the fall (3-4 weeks roughly) than other Maples in my yard. They also shrivel up before they drop. The only time I see reasonably flat leaves under this tree is after a heavy rain. Hope that helps to identify it.

Andy, no shouts off the roots on this tree.

[lou sansone]

I agree that it is not silver maple. picture of the leaves will be helpful

lou

[john whittaker]

Steve, If you google "leaf identification" there are sites that may help you identify your tree. It's worked for me several times. Bring a few leaves inside so you can compare to the pics on a leaf ID web site. And just to add...I had an older silver maple and the bark didn't look like yours.

- John W

[John Hart]

Here's a table to reference...if it's any help

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 bgColor=#cccccc border=1><TBODY><TR><TH>Species </TH><TH>Leaf </TH><TH>Bark </TH><TH>Twig </TH><TH>Fruit</TH></TR><TR><TD>Sugar Maple </TD><TD>3-5 inches wide; 5lobed (rarely 3-lobed); bright green upper surface and a paler green lower surface; leaf margin without fine teeth (compare with red and silver maple). </TD><TD>Young trees up to 4-8 inches with smooth gray bark. Older trees developing furrows and ultimately long, irregular, thick vertical plates that appear to peal from the trunk in a vertical direction. </TD><TD>A somewhat shiny, brownish, slender, relatively smooth twig with <SUP>1</SUP>/<SUB>4</SUB>-<SUP>3</SUP>/<SUB>8</SUB> inch long sharply pointed terminal bud. </TD><TD>Horseshoe-shaped double-winged fruit with parallel or slightly divergent wings. Winged seed approximately 1" long. Fruits mature in fall. </TD></TR><TR><TD>Black Maple </TD><TD>Similar to sugar maple but usually 3-lobed (sometimes five); often appears to be drooping; often with a thicker leaf and lear stem (petiole) than sugar maple; usually with two winglike or leaflike growths at the base of the petiole (stipules). </TD><TD>Similar to sugar maple but usually darker and more deeply grooved or furrowed. </TD><TD>Similar to sugar maple but twig surface with small warty growths (lenticels, which are not raised much above the bark surface in sugar maple) and often more hairy buds. </TD><TD>Similar to sugar maple with, perhaps, a slightly larger seed. </TD></TR><TR><TD>Red Maple </TD><TD>2-6 inches wide; 3lobed (occasionally weakly 5-lobed); sharply V-shaped sinuses; small sharp teeth along margin. Mature leaves have a whitish appearing
underside.

</TD><TD>Young trees up to 4-8 inches with a smooth light gray bark, developing into gray or black ridges and ultimately narrow scaly plates. </TD><TD>Slender, shiny, usually reddish in color; terminal buds <SUP>1</SUP>/<SUB>8</SUB>-<SUP>1</SUP>/<SUB>4</SUB> inch long, blunt, red; odorless if bark bruised or scraped. </TD><TD>V-shaped, double-winged fruit about <SUP>1</SUP>/<SUB>2</SUB>-1 inch long. Fruit matures in spring. </TD></TR><TR><TD>Silver Maple </TD><TD>5-7 inches wide; deeply clefted; 5-lobed with the sides of the terminal lobe diverging toward the tip; light green upper surface and a silvery white underside; leaf margin with fine teeth (but not the inner edges of the sinuses). </TD><TD>Silvery gray on young trees breaking into long thin scaly plates that give the trunks of older trees a very shaggy appearance. Considerable red is seen in bark pattern as scales develop. </TD><TD>Similar to red maple but bruised or scraped bark has a very fetid or foul odor. </TD><TD>V-shaped, double-winged fruit 1<SUP>1</SUP>/<SUB>2</SUB> to 2 inches long, with widely divergent wings. One of two seeds present is often poorly developed or aborted. Fruit matures in spring. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[Michael Cody]

I agree -- silver maple. My parents have one almost exactly like that in their front yard and that is what the bucket said when we planted it in '69. A neat way to look for silver maple (if it's like my parents) is shine the headlights of the car at it at nite.. the leaves will glow silver on the underside ... don't know if thats true for other ones, but it's sure true for the tree in my mom's yard.

[lou sansone]

I stand corrected .... thanks john hart

lou

[Steve Stube]

Thanks for all the input guys but the verdict is still out. If I figure out a way to reach a leaf (for leaf ID) or tip a car on end to shin the lights on them I'll post it. I did get a look at the Silver Maple at the old house and the leaves are much bigger, silver in the headlights but no shaggy banana shin bark.

Really I haven't had time to apply all this wisdom you provided to sort it out. I will in the days ahead. Again, thank you all.

[Dave Right]

I think silver maple too. One way a person can tell also is that the roots resurface.

If you ever had to mow around one then you never forget.

[Steve Roxberg]

I think silver maple too. One way a person can tell also is that the roots resurface.

If you ever had to mow around one then you never forget.

I agree about the roots and they are the reason I'd never plant one. They make the yard a mess to mow and walk around.

[Andy Henriksen]

Another vote for silver maple. In my opinion, leaf size isn't usually a good indicator, as it can vary quite a bit, from tree to tree, or even within a tree (shade leaves vs. sun leaves).

[Hunter Wallace]

Looks like a silver maple to me...


Here's a pretty cool website for for identifying trees of all sorts...


www.oplin.org/tree/ (http://www.oplin.org/tree/)