Box Elder

Standing before you is the Box Elder, also known as the Acer negundo. As a part of the maple family, the Box Elder is known as "the oddball of maples" as it does not resemble the rest of its genus. Typically growing around 60 feet tall, it also often features sprouts near its trunk. You'll find the Box Elder thriving along creeks and rivers, where its seeds become a food source for Grosbeaks and occasionally Wood ducks when they fall into the water. Most peculiar about this tree is the variation among its leaves. While all of its leaves are shiny on top, hairy underneath, and contain 3 to 7 leaflets, it is the leaflets that vary. While some of the leaflets are single lobed, other leaflets can contain multiple lobes, often three. The mature bark of this tree is tannish brown with thin, irregular ridges separated by shallow fissures. Usually only living 100 years or less, the Box Elder is a weaker tree unlike the hardy maples in its genus.