Box Elder, Boxelder Maple, Ash-leaved Maple, Manitoba Maple
Acer negundo · Sapindaceae (Soapberry and Maple family)
AI-generated identification · may be incorrect
Leaf Morphology
Leaf Type
Compound (trifoliate with three leaflets), deciduous
Shape
Ovated to lanceolate leaflets with coarse, irregular teeth and occasional shallow lobes, typically three leaflets per compound leaf
Margin
Serrate to coarsely toothed, with some irregular shallow lobes on the terminal leaflet
Arrangement
Opposite
Venation
Pinnate venation with a prominent central midrib and branching lateral veins on each leaflet
Key Features
Opposite compound leaves with typically three leaflets, distinctive box-elder bug associations, greenish-to-reddish twigs often with a whitish bloom, and winged samaras hanging in drooping clusters
Description
Box Elder is an unusual maple because, unlike most of its relatives that feature simple leaves, it produces pinnately compound leaves usually with three to five leaflets. The tree has a fast growth rate, typically reaching medium size with a somewhat irregular, spreading crown and soft, brittle wood. Its bark is grayish-brown and becomes deeply furrowed with age. Small, greenish flowers appear in drooping clusters in spring before the leaves emerge, followed by paired winged samaras.
Habitat
Typically found along streams, rivers, floodplains, and disturbed moist areas, though it is highly adaptable and can tolerate drought and poor urban soils
Native Range
Native to a vast region of North America, spanning across most of the United States, parts of Canada, and into Mexico; widely introduced and naturalized globally