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Silver Maple vs American Sycamore
Acer saccharinum
Platanus occidentalis
Silver Maple is a fast-growing, large deciduous tree that typically has a short trunk and sharply branched crown.
Silver Maple bears red flowers in early spring and beautiful five lobed, deeply notched green and silver leaves that turn yellow in the fall. This versatile and attractive shade tree requires a large yard.
Silver Maple is often used to make syrup instead of Sugar Maple in colder areas where Sugar Maple sap does not sweeten very well (like the Canadian prairies).
American Sycamore is the largest tree native to eastern North America. Generally too large and messy to be a street tree, American Sycamore thrives in large, open spaces, such as an acreage or farm.
The bark is one of the main features that draw people to this tree. The outer bark flakes off in irregular pieces to reveal an attractive white, green, and cream colored inner layer, providing winter interest.
American Sycamore has an extremely fast growth rate, gaining up to 6 ft in one year, and will easily reach its mature height in a short period of time. Be wary of this trees' root system, as it's typically very extensive and needs lots of room to expand.