BOX ELDER

Species Name: Acer negundo
Family: Aceraceae (maple family)
Plant Type: Broad-leaf tree

Description:  Tree, height to 65 feet, deciduous with bright autumn color.

Leaf:  Compound leaf composed of 3-5 leaflets.  Leaflet coarsely toothed, 3-5 lobed, length to 5 inches with the terminal leaflet longest. 

Flower:  March-April, dioecious (separate sex trees):  female develops small, non-petaled greenish flowers on drooping stalks; male has clusters of small non-petaled flowers.

Fruit/Seed:  Distinctive paired achenes with wings, achene initially reddish but ripens to a straw color in the autumn.  Produces a substantial quantity of seed, which germinate in great numbers in open areas. 

Typical Location:  Common canopy species, streamsides, established floodplains, bottomlands; elevations below 6,000 feet.

Revegetation Approach:  Container
Key Notes:  Related to the vine maple (A. circinatum) and the big leaf maple (A. macrophyllum).  Easily distinguished by leaf shape.  A. negundo is the only compound leaf maple in North America.

Notes:  Provides excellent shelter for wildlife.  Seeds provide good forage for birds and small mammals.