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The Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) belongs to Aceraceae (the Maple family). It is a tall deciduous tree that is widely distributed in central North America, from eastern parts of North America to the Rocky Mountains. It grows on riverbanks, floodplains, and wetlands, and grows 15 to 24 m tall. The bark is gray and peels off as it grows, splitting longitudinally and becoming fluffy. The leaves are broadly ovate with five deep lobes, the apical lobes long and pointed, and often the middle lobes have three more lobes. The leaf surface is an austere green, but the underside is silvery white. The leaves turn yellow in fall. From late winter to early spring, before the leaves develop, inflorescences appear and small yellow-green flowers bloom. The fruit is a winged samara with two large wings that ripen to a light brown in spring.
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