| ACER NEGUNDO
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.
Provides excellent shelter for
wildlife. Seeds provide good forage
for birds and small mammals.
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