Please Itentify This Maple Leaf

[BBQSoCal]

I know that you can identify a maple leaf by its structure. This looks very close to being a silver maple leaf from a silver maple tree of course. Only problem is the lower portion or the bottom looks a little different so can you tell me what kind of maple leaf this is?

Thank You

 

[chef jimmyj]

I am not seeing a picture...JJ

 

[BBQSoCal]

No image uploaded. I'll try again.

 

[BBQSoCal]

Finally I got it to upload!

 

[chef jimmyj]

Sorry sir, no help from me. I can't recall seeing one like it...JJ

 

[BBQSoCal]

chef, no problem but thanks for checking out my discussion. Here is a Silver Maple leaf pic I got from Google. It looks very similar but the bottom part is different. Silver Maple is flat but the one I have has a notch on both sides of the stem. Maybe it's a close relative? I will let the wood I got from that tree dry out until about June and try to smoke with the wood see how it taste. If it is Silver Maple then it's not a strong smoke and I can use a lot of it but if it's another then I don't know how much to use or expect. I'll experiment and get back to the forum in June and give an update. See my discussion on getting free wood for smoking meat.

 

[BBQSoCal]

I found a web page with some info on Silver Maple and they have pictures of it and this I am convinced is a Silver Maple. Not sure why other pictures the bottom of the leaf is flat but the picture I saw on the website has pictures and it's noticed like the one I have. Silver Maple is normally west of the Mississippi with a few west but not far west of the river. I guess someone decided to plant a Silver Maple here in So Cal. Okay so the wood I have doesn't have strong smoke so I will use more wood from the tree to get some flavor or use it with another type of wood like hickory but hickory may drown out the maple smoke flavor.

 

[cliffcarter]

I can confirm that what you have is silver maple. The tree ID site that I use confirms that there are silver maples in Cali.
Lots of them where I am in Maine, especially near rivers and streams, they are called water maple in some parts of the country.

 

[BBQSoCal]

I can confirm that what you have is silver maple. The tree ID site that I use confirms that there are silver maples in Cali.
Lots of them where I am in Maine, especially near rivers and streams, they are called water maple in some parts of the country.

Thank you for the confirmation. Do you smoke meat with Silver Maple?

 

[ChrisStef]

If the leaf had white fuzz on the underside id call it silver maple. If that leaf is about 12" across id lean towards big leaf but might be a bit far south for that. For the most part maple is maple and it can either be soft (sugar) or hard (silver, red, big leaf) based upon its Janka rating. Pictures of the bark would help as well.

 

[mike1ranger]

I'm a maple syrup guy and am pretty familiar with sugar, red, silver maples and I'm about as confident as I can be that your looking at a silver maple. I've only smoked with sugar and reds but I don't see what would be wrong with using a silver in your smoker.

 

[BBQSoCal]

Chris, I only found out after I took the wood home that you can identify the tree species by the leaf so I went back the next day and all the tree was gone as were the leaves except a couple of dried out leaves so as far as fuzz goes I won't see any. It's small so I guess not Big Leaf.

mike, yes I bet it would work. I will give it a try when it dries out in about 5 months and let you guys know how it is. I am sure it should be good and I'm blessed to get free maple!!! By the way I love maple syrup too!

 

[archeryrob]

I have silver maples and sunset maples and the Silver has larger leaves and look silver to light grey when you see the underside blowing in the wind, hence the name. The leaves turn yellow in the fall just like that one.

My sunset has smaller leaves and they turn red in the fall.

 

[cliffcarter]

Thank you for the confirmation. Do you smoke meat with Silver Maple?

I don't because I have a ready supply of red maples in my yard. But you certainly can use silver maple for BBQ.

....My sunset has smaller leaves and they turn red in the fall.

Sound to me like your sunset maples are red maples.
BTW this is the site I use for tree ID, excellent info and lots of pictures-

http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/biglist_frame.cfm

 

[richard cameron]

I live in northern California. There are lots of silver maple trees around here. Whenever we have a trash pickup day, I go around with my pickup truck and scrounge all the free maple wood that I can find.

The wood produces a light smoke. I used it on some ribs once, and could hardly taste any smoke on the meat. My best success has been to mix it with some oak. Oh yes, I also scrounge free oak whenever I can.

 

[keithu]

I've been cooking with maple lately. I'm not sure of the specific variety because I'm using milling scraps from a local furniture maker that mills their own lumber. It is indeed very mild, but it burns nice and hot.

 

[keithu]

We've been cooking with a lot of maple lately. I'm not sure of the variety because we're using mill scraps from a local furniture maker that mills their own lumber. It is indeed very mild, but it burns nice and hot. We like it. Yesterday we smoked a chicken and some country ribs with the maple and some lump charcoal.

 

[cliffcarter]

Based on the bark that I see in your pic I'd guess red maple. My favorite cooking wood.