The _leaves_ are 3 to 5 inches across, simple, opposite, with 3 to 5
pointed and sparsely-toothed lobes, the divisions between the lobes
being rounded. The leaves are dark green on the upper surface, lighter
green beneath, turning in autumn to brilliant shades of dark red,
scarlet, orange and clear yellow.
The _flowers_ are yellowish-green, on long threadlike stalks, appearing
with the leaves, the two kinds in separate clusters. The _fruit_, which
ripens in the fall, consists of a two-winged "samara", or "key", the two
wings nearly parallel, each about 1 inch in length and containing a
seed. It is easily carried by the wind.
The _wood_ is hard, heavy, strong, close-grained and light brown in
color. It is known, commercially as hard maple, and is used in the
manufacture of flooring, furniture, shoe-lasts and a great variety of
novelties.
The black maple, _Acer nigrum_ Michx., occurs with the sugar maple
with darker bark. The leaves are usually wider than long, yellow-green
and downy beneath, and the base of the petioles enlarged. The two
lower lobes are very small; the lobes are undulate or entire.
+SILVER MAPLE+ _Acer saccharinum_ L.
THE silver or river maple, also called the soft maple, occurs on moist
land and along streams. It attains heights of 100 feet or more and
diameters of 3 feet or over. It usually has a short trunk which divides
into a number of large ascending limbs. These again subdivide, and the
branches droop but turn upward at the tips. The _bark_ on the old stems
is dark gray and broken into long flakes or scales; on the young shoots
it is smooth and varies in color from reddish to a yellowish-gray. The
silver maple grows rapidly and has been much planted as a shade tree.
Because of the brittleness of its wood, it is often damaged by summer
storms and winter sleet.
[Illustration: SILVER MAPLE