Which tree has silver leaves? Check which side is silver, then the leaf shape

Silver underneath and lobed: silver maple and white poplar

Silver maple is the tree most people mean. The NC State silver maple profile describes opposite leaves 3 to 6 inches long with five deeply cut lobes, medium green above and silvery beneath, on a tree 50 to 80 feet tall native to eastern and central North America, usually along streams and floodplains. Older bark breaks into long, thin scales that give the trunk a shaggy look.

White poplar looks similar from a distance but is alternate-leaved and far whiter. The NC State white poplar profile describes leaves 3 to 6 inches long with three to five lobes and coarse teeth, a silvery-green upper surface and a white, woolly underside, with woolly leaf stalks as well. Young bark is smooth and greenish-gray, darkening and furrowing on old trunks. It comes from Europe and Central Asia, spreads by root suckers into colonies, and NC State notes it is prohibited in Connecticut and restricted in Wisconsin. Rub the underside: if white fuzz comes off on your finger, it is white poplar. The poplar page covers the other poplars.

Silver underneath, not lobed: silver linden, whitebeam and white willow

Silver linden is a street and park tree with the heart-shaped leaf of every linden. The NC State silver linden profile describes glossy green upper surfaces and a fuzzy silvery-white underside, toothed edges, a lopsided base and a tree 50 to 70 feet tall from southeastern Europe and western Asia. Its fragrant, creamy-white flowers hang under a long strap-shaped bract in June and July, later than other lindens.

Whitebeam is the British and European answer. The Woodland Trust's whitebeam page describes thick, oval leaves with irregular teeth, dark shiny green above and covered in white, felt-like hair below, on a tree up to 20 m with smooth grey bark, white flowers in May and scarlet berries in late summer.

White willow has the narrow willow leaf. The Woodland Trust's white willow page explains that its leaves look paler than most willows because the underside carries a felt of fine, silky, silvery-white hairs, on a tree up to 25 m with a leaning crown, deeply fissured grey-brown bark and a liking for riverbanks. See the willow page for the weeping and crack willows.

Silver on both sides: Russian olive, olive and silver dollar eucalyptus

Russian olive is a small, often thorny tree. The NC State Russian olive profile describes narrow, lance-shaped, alternate leaves 1½ to 4 inches long with smooth edges and silvery scales on both sides, a plant 12 to 30 feet tall, and small olive-like fruit that are silver in late summer and turn red in fall. It is from Asia and is listed as invasive by the North Carolina Invasive Plant Council; NC State notes it has taken over stream banks mainly in the central and western United States. Never eat a fruit on the strength of a web page or an app. The Russian olive page covers autumn olive, its closest look-alike.

Olive has a similar narrow leaf but carries it in opposite pairs. The NC State olive profile describes leathery, evergreen leaves up to about 3 inches long, grayish-green on top and silvery with fine hairs beneath, on a tree 20 to 30 feet tall grown outdoors in USDA zones 8 to 10, with bark that becomes furrowed, gnarled and twisted with age. Opposite leaves separate olive from Russian olive at a glance.

Silver dollar eucalyptus (Eucalyptus cinerea) is grown for its round, coin-like young leaves. NC State's Eucalyptus cinerea profile describes juvenile leaves that are opposite, round, stalkless and blue-green or ash-colored, and adult leaves that become alternate, lance-shaped and 3 to 4½ inches long. The eucalyptus page covers the other gums.

Silvery needles: blue spruce and blue Atlas cedar

Searches for an "evergreen tree with silver leaves" often mean a conifer. The NC State blue spruce profile describes stiff, sharply pointed needles under an inch long, dull green to bluish to silvery-white, on a tree 30 to 60 feet tall native to the central Rocky Mountains, with hanging cones 2 to 4 inches long. Blue Atlas cedar looks silver-blue too, but its needles grow in tufts: the NC State Atlas cedar profile gives clusters of 10 to 30 needles 0.7 to 1.5 inches long, from sea green to almost silvery blue, with barrel-shaped cones standing upright on the upper branches. Single needles that prick your hand mean spruce; tufts on short spurs mean cedar.

When leaves turn silver: silver leaf disease

If a plum, cherry or other fruit tree that used to be green now has silvery leaves, the cause may be disease rather than species. The RHS silver leaf page explains that the fungus Chondrostereum purpureum enters through wounds, mainly pruning cuts, gives leaves a silvery sheen that is most noticeable on plums, and kills the affected branch. Hosts include plums, apples, apricots, almonds, cherries, hawthorns and poplars. Cut an affected branch: an irregular dark stain in the center of the wood points to silver leaf, while cold or drought can silver leaves without staining the wood, which the RHS calls false silver leaf.

Using a photo

A silver underside rarely shows in a photo taken from below, so turn a leaf over and photograph it, then photograph the whole tree. Tree Identifier names a tree from one photo, and white willow, olive, blue spruce, blue Atlas cedar and Tasmanian blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) are in its Collection; silver maple, white poplar and silver linden are not. It shows no confidence score or alternatives, so check its answer against the leaf arrangement and the side that is silver in the table above, and use the follow-up chat to ask how that species differs from its look-alikes. For leaf shapes in general, see how to identify trees by their leaves.