Side by side
Red maple or silver maple? How to tell them apart
Acer rubrum · Acer saccharinum
How to tell them apart – red maple: maple with a three- to five-lobed leaf with a blue-white underside, small red flowers in March and fiery red autumn colour; silver maple: much more deeply cut leaf with a silvery-white underside, turns yellow in autumn.
.jpg){kind=link}
How do you recognise them?
- Red maple
- Maple with a three- to five-lobed leaf with a blue-white underside, small red flowers in March and fiery red autumn colour.
- Silver maple
- Deeply cut maple leaf with a silvery-white underside.
- Compared with red maple: much more deeply cut leaf with a silvery-white underside; turns yellow in autumn.
| Red maple | Silver maple | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Opposite, 6–10 cm, with 3 (sometimes 5) shallow, irregularly toothed lobes; green above, blue-white below. Leaf stalk often red, without milky sap. | Opposite, 10–15 cm, with 5 very deeply cut, finely toothed lobes; underside silvery white. No milky sap. |
| Flowering | Clusters of small red flowers on the bare branches, as early as March (March). | Small red flowers, as early as February–March (February–March). |
| Fruit | Small, red winged seeds at a sharp angle, ripe as early as May–June. | Large winged fruits that ripen as early as late spring. |
| Bark | Smooth and silver-grey for a long time, later darker and split into long plates; twigs and buds red. | Silver-grey, later in long, loose flakes. |
| Shape and height | Broadleaf tree, 15–25 m (in gardens usually 10–15 m) | Broadleaf tree, 20–30 m |
| Site | Sun or partial shade, acid soil, dry to wet | Full sun, any garden soil, moist to wet |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | No, planted |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | – | Yes, for bees |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | July–October | July–October |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Red maple (15–25 m (in gardens usually 10–15 m)) and silver maple (20–30 m) both grow into large trees: too big for an ordinary garden, but fine in a large garden, a park or a meadow.
Read on
- Plant profile: Red maple
- Plant profile: Silver maple
- Red maple: when and how to prune
- Silver maple: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.