plantation in Silk Wood, Westonbirt, Gloucestershire, was conspicuous among all other trees for its brilliant scarlet leaves and upright habit, in October 1907.
In Scotland it grows well as far north as Brahan Castle, Ross-shire, the seat of Col. Stewart Mackenzie of Seaforth, where in 1907 I measured a tree about 50 feet by 12 feet 2 inches; and at Gordon Castle an old tree at the west end of the holly bank, was in the same year 55 feet by 6 feet 2 inches. There is also a good-sized tree close to the lodge at Moncreiffe House, near Perth, which I believe to be a red maple.
In Ireland Loudon mentions one at Woodstock, which at 60 years old was 50 feet high, but Henry could not find it now living. (H.J.E.)
ACER DASYCARPUM, Silver Maple
- Acer dasycarpum, Ehrhart, Beit. iv. 24 (1789).
- Acer saccharinum,[1] Linæeus, Sp. Pl. 1055 (1753); Sargent, Silva N. Amer. ii. 103, t. 93 (1892), and Trees N. Amer. 638 (1905).
- Acer eriocarpum, Michaux, Fl. Bor. Am. ii, 203 (1803); Loudon, Arb. et Frut. Brit. i. 423 (1838).
A tree attaining in America 120 feet in height and 12 feet in girth, the stem usually dividing at a short distance from the ground; ultimate branches pendulous, long, and slender. Bark of young trees smooth and grey, on old trunks dark in colour, ridged, and separating on the surface into thin loose scales. Young branchlets glabrous, green, becoming shining brown in the first autumn. Leaves (Plate 207, Fig. 28) about 5 inches long, 6 inches wide, usually cordate at the base, five-lobed; basal lobes well developed; lobes long acuminate at the apex, with serrated triangular teeth or lobules; sinuses rounded at the base and concave on the sides, extending halfway or more to the base of the blade; upper surface glabrous, shining green; lower surface silvery white, scattered pubescent, without axil-tufts; petiole without milky sap. The leaves turn yellow in autumn.
Flowers appearing before the leaves, earlier even than those of A. rubrum, greenish yellow, dicecious or moncecious, in crowded fascicles on the branchlets of the previous year; pedicels very short, petals absent, ovary pubescent. Fruit on slender drooping stalks, ripening in America in May or June, earlier than that of A. rubrum, and germinating as soon as it falls; keys woolly when young, ultimately glabrous, widely divergent, pale brown, ¾ to 1½ inch long.
The silver maple can only be confused with the red maple, and the marks of distinction are given under the latter species. In winter, the twigs are indistinguishable from those of A. rubrum.
- ↑ This name, which was first given to the silver maple by Linnæus, was subsequently transferred to the sugar maple by Wangenheim and remained in universal use for the latter species during many years. In 1889, Sargent, in Garden and Forest, ii. 364, re-established it as the name for the silver maple, and he has been followed in this by most American botanists and foresters. The usage, however, of A. saccharinum for the silver maple, and of A. saccharum for the sugar maple, is confusing; and we have adopted A. dasycarpum for the former, as being a name long in use, and one which has never been applied to any other species.
