Silver Maple

The maple family (Aceraceae) comprises more than 100 species found throughout the northern temperate regions, with a large number in eastern Asia. In the main, they are deciduous trees and shrubs with opposite leaves, which are palmately lobed in most species. The flowers are small but often attractive and they usually open at the same time as the leaves. The insect-pollinated flowers ripen into the winged seeds which children love to play with.

The field maple (Acer campestre) is a medium sized tree, frequently found in fields and rural hedges in Europe; it also grows in western Asia. In autumn, the leaves turn a pure yellow, sometimes red. The Norway maple (A. platanoides) is a handsome, fast-growing tree of great size. The sycamore (A. pseudoplatanus), another species of maple, can grow in exposed positions in almost any soil. Native to the European mountain Areas, it has been planted and naturalized widely. The silver Maple (A. sacchinum) is a large, fast-growing tree in eastern North America. The shape and color of its leaves create a delightlful effect in the breeze. The sugar maple (A. saccharum) resembles the Norway maple, and is one of the most spectacular North American Trees in Autumn when its leaves change color.

Common Name:	Silver Maple
Other Names:	Field Maple, Maple, Norway Maple, Sugar Maple, Sycamore
Botanical Name:	Acer sacchinum
Genus:	Acer
Family:	Aceraceae
Native Location:	Eastern Asia, Europe, North America
Cultivation:	Northern temperate regions, mountainous regions.
Propagation:	By seed sown when ripe; by hardwood cuttings at the end of growing season.
Practical Uses:	The tough and fine-grained maple wood is suitable for high-quality carving - for example, of musical instruments - or for turning work, such as ornamental bowls. In the UK, Anglo-Saxon maple harps have been extracted from a barrow at Taplow in Berkshire; they were also found, wrapped in a sealskin bag, as part of the Sutton Hoo ship burial treasure in Suffolk. The pale and clean sycamore wood has been popular for kitchen tables and furniture because it has no scent to tain food and a fine grain tha can be cleaned easily. Further west, in southwest England, sycamore leaves were once used as bases on which to bake Easter or harvest-time buns, their distinctive veins giving a beautiful pattern to the undersides of the buns. In North America, many indigenous tribes have traditionally used maple wood to make paddles and oars, and in building, basketry, and furniture-making. The popular maple syrup is produced mainly in Canada. For centuries, Native North Americans have cut into the trunks of sugar maples in the late winter to collect the sap. Today this is done on a commercial scale. If the trees are not over-bled and hence damaged, they can be tapped again the following year. But it takes 40 gallons (182 litres) of sap to make just 1 gallon (4.5 litres) of syrup. Pure maple syrup is precious because in contains balanced sugars, minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and manganese, vitamins A, B2, B5 and B6, folic acid, niacin, biotin, and also proteins. But beware - some cheaper products might only contain a fifth of maple syrup in a mixture otherwise made up of corn syrup and various artificial additives, so always check the label before buying.
Natural Healing:	Maples of all varieties have a long tradition of use in herbal medicine, particularly among Native North Americans. For example, the Tsalagi tribe uses the bark of the silver maple to make remedies for sore eyes, gynecological problems and cramps. The Chippewa use it to treat sores, the Mohegan to cure coughs and the Ojibwa to combat gonorrhea.
Culture, Myth and Symbol:	The sycamore in the Alps and the field maple in the lower-lying regions of Europe were both intimitely associated with farming. People ate the spring leaves in salads and other dishes, and the leafy branches were common cattle fodder. The trees provided shade, stabilized slopes or damp ground conditions and could almost be regarded as part of the working "staff" of the farmyard. The old Welsh tradition of carving love spoons utilizes sycamore, but apart from the rich tradition of being made into musical instruments (maple wood has qualities excellent for sound transmission), the European maples hardly ever left the farmyard. However, in North America it is a different story, particularly with the sugar maples. A tale among the Salteaux tribe relates how the fiery autumn leaves of the maples save the grandmother of Nanahboozhoo, the Creator, from malevolent spirits of darkness. Nanahboozhoo was so grateful, and also so taken with the maples' beauty, that he decided to live among them. One day, some tribespeople came and asked him how to collect maple sap and he showed them how to do so without harming the trees more than necessary. The maple features in myths and legends on many other Native North American tribes. In a story told by the Chippewa people about a hero called Mishosha, the maple was once an evil magician. However, Mishosha's courageous and skillfull deeds turned a most malevolent man into the most benevolent tree. The Iroquois legend of "The Hunting of the Great Bear" relates how four brothers were hunting Nyahgwaheh, an enormous bear. After a long and arduous chase, they finally struck him down a the top of a mountain. They made a fire, cooked the bear and ate. When they were replete they looked down and saw thousands of small sparkling lights beneath and around them. They were no longer on the mountain top, but up in the sky!. The bones of the great bear came back to life and started to run, and the four brothers grabbed their spears and followed him across the skies. And they still do - because the four brothers make up the constellation of the Great Bear. Every autumn, when they kill him, so the legend says, the bear's blood falls down from the heavens and paints the maple leaves scarlet. The Kiowa nation uses the wood of the box elder (A. negundo) to burn on the altar fire at the sacred peyote ceremony (peyote is an hallucinogenic cactus).
Symbolism:	Expansion
Divine Association:	Nanahboozhoo (Salteaux Indian)
Astrological Association:	Jupiter
Superstition:	The Roman grammarian Servius noted in C.400ce that, as the Trojan Horse ahs been made from maple wood, the maple was a tree that brought bad luck.
Historical Spotlight:	The Sycamore tree was first recorded in England in 1578, possibly brought from Europe by the Crusaders. Its English name is a misspelling of "sycomore" fig- a tree native to Egypt and Palestine.
Bibliography:	The Meaning of Trees by Fred Hageneder Copyright©2005 Duncan Baird Publishers. pp. 20-23