I thought the leaf lobe structure looked like silver...but my large one doesn't leaf out this color. Odd. Thank you!

My silver maple doesn't leaf out that color either, but I saw some pix on the web of young silver maple leaves that were that color. My first gut reaction to the picture was norway maple - did see some red new leaves for that when I looked in google images

When the leaves mature, I bet you will be able to tell then. The maples are pretty easy to distinguish by their leaves.

Check out Acer x freemanii, Freeman's maple, which is a cross between A. saccharinum and A. rubrum (red maple). Some of the selections of this cross have leaves that look like silver maple, but the spring (and fall) color are more like red maples.

That is a very interesting comment. I found something on line about freemanii. The hybrid is created both by cultivation and in the wild. The article said it is sometimes difficult to identify because of the complexity of crosses and backcrosses that may occur. I could not find anything about the color of the leaf break. But neither my mature red maple nor my mature silver maple break red; both are green. However maybe in a sapling they break more red. Even seedlings from my red maple break green though.

So in short, this is a really interesting question! And hard to say. If you were really motivated you could send pictures and samples to your local extension and they could examine it at their lab. It's always free to have a plant looked at by an extension lab, whether for identification or other purposes. Good luck!

This is a neighbors tree....I will pass on the info to her and will f/u after the leaves full come out!

Although the leaves have a lot of teeth I would suspect Freeman maple also, as named forms of this are so prevalent in cultivation. Many of these display a narrow or narrow-ish habit and more red-maple like fall color than silver maples. In fact, there has been a history of certain kinds being sold erroneously as red maple cultivars.

Definitely this tree is at least part silver maple, if not entirely a silver maple - in either case they have planted a tree that is going to get BIG (and produce a dense mat of vigorous roots), if it likes that spot.

alexavd - I live in an area with a lot of red maples - it's one of the dominant trees. Since we don't currently have much other color, I've been comparing the colors of blossoms and early leaves for the past couple of weeks as I drive and walk around, and there's a huge range. Some blossoms are so dark as to be almost maroon, and some are almost chartreuse-gold with all shades of red, pink and orange in between. As the leaves are just starting to unfold now, I see a similar range. I imagine that many of the A. freemanii are selected with extra color as one of the selection criteria.

No silver maple. silver maples have long leaves.

I think I am leaning toward Freeman or a cross. I agree not fully silver - but either Freeman or a cross.

These are newly emerging leaves - they are not at all full size. It may not be pure Acer saccharinum but there is definitely silver maple in this tree's parentage. That is unarguable.

AFA the Maple Society is concerned, the only hybrid silver maple is xfreemanii.

Gardengal...so you are saying you agree that this could possibly be freemani?

If it's a Freeman maple it's one at the silver maple end of the leaf shape range. We can speculate all we want here but as far as accurately naming it is concerned the next step is to do additional studying of the tree in person, including observation of fall color. And, again, on a practical level the key point is they have put a big, dominating tree in that spot - that may be more important than which of the two kinds it is.

Although Freeman maples aren't usually as hulking and brittle as silver maples become.

What he said :-))

Leaf bottom right...silver to the left. I will check back at her house in the fall. :)