Box Elder
Box Elder
(Acer negundo L.)
Graphic of the Box Elder
LEAVES: Opposite, compound, with 3-5 coarsely and irregularly toothed leaflets, each 2"-4" long and 2"-3" wide.
TWIGS: Stout, purplish-green or green, sometimes smooth but often with a whitish coating and scattered raised lenticels.
FRUIT: Wings about 1½"-2" long, parallel or in-curved, borne in drooping clusters. Fruits mature in September but fruit-stalks persist far into winter.
BARK: Branches and young trunks smooth and grayish-brown, older trunks distinctly narrow ridged and seldom scaly.
GENERAL: A medium sized tree, occasionally to 70' high. Trunk usually short, dividing into stout branches forming a deep broad crown. Typically found in low moist areas, floodplains and stream banks. Most abundant in eastern and southern Pennsylvania, common along streams in the southwestern part and scattered elsewhere. Used in ornamental plantings.
Contact Information
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Rachel Carson State Office Building
PO Box 8767
400 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8767
General Information: (717) 787-2869
Email: ra-askdcnr@state.pa.us
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