Twig, one-half natural size.] 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 Twig, one-half natural size. Leaf, one-third natural size.] The _leaves_ are opposite on the stem, have from 3 to 5 lobes ending in long points with toothed edges and are separated by deep angular sinuses or openings; they are pale green on the upper surface and silvery-white underneath. The buds are rounded, red or reddish-brown, blunt-pointed; generally like those of red maple. The _flowers_ appear in the spring before the leaves, in dense clusters, and are of a greenish-yellow color. The _fruit_ ripens in late spring. It consists of a pair of winged seeds or "keys" with wings 1 to 2 inches long on slender, flexible, threadlike stems about an inch long. The _wood_ is soft, weak, even-textured, rather brittle, easily worked, and decays readily when exposed. It is considerably used for boxboards, furniture, veneers and fuel. The red maple, or swamp maple, _Acer rubrum_ L., has leaves deeply lobed with the lobes sharply toothed. The autumn color is deep red. The flowers also are red and the fruit is small reddish, maturing late in spring. +BOX ELDER+ _Acer negundo_ L.