This is the most common cultivar of Silver Maple. It is mostly seedless, but I remember it bearing the large samara seeds at times, sometimes a good amount. Its leaves are more deeply lobed than the mother species and are very silver underneath. It does not grow as large as the mother species. Silver Maple is a very average-looking tree that is not a good choice for any smaller or medium-sized yard due to it being soft-wooded, as the other common name is Soft Maple. Best not to plant close to a building because of possible storm damage. This cultivar is a little better for residential landscapes than the straight species and it seems to be less vulnerable to storm damage. I don't know of it being offered at all anymore by some conventional nurseries as it was in the 1960's into the 1980's. (I did find one conventional nursery online that does sell 'Silver Queen,' Kankakee Nursery in northeast Illinois, as both bareroot and balled & burlapped trees.) I don't know of most conventional nurseries selling the straight species of Silver Maple either anymore, though some special native plant nurseries sell Silver Maples for wild, conservational sites in natural parks and lands. A few cheap mail order nurseries still sell some 'Silver Queen' Maples. Its leaves curl up after falling from the tree in autumn and are easy to grind up with a lawnmower into the lawn; no need to rake.

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