Silver Maple Flowers (Acer saccharinum)
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Silver maples are fast-growing canopy trees that grow in moist woods and floodplains. They are named after the silvery undersides of their leaves that can be seen on windy days. Male and female flowers can grow on separate trees, on the same branch, or sometimes within the same cluster. Male flowers contain bundles of yellow-green stamens, while female flowers have clusters of small red pistils. Silver maples are often one of the first trees in a forest to blossom, with flowers appearing from early March-April. Though they are predominately pollinated by wind, silver maples are also visited by some insects. In the Arboretum, look for silver maples in floodplain forests along the Cannon and Spring Creek.