Boxelder is the maple that does not look like one, and one of the commonest trees on waste ground and river banks.
Identifying boxelder
Scientific name: Acer negundo
How to recognise it
- Opposite leaves, divided into three to seven leaflets, with leaflets that are coarsely toothed or lobed.
- Pairs of winged seeds, the maple fruit, hanging in bunches and often staying on the tree into winter.
- Green or purplish-green twigs when young.
- A small tree, often multi-stemmed, with a ragged crown.
Why it confuses people
Because the leaf is compound, boxelder is often mistaken for ash, which is also opposite and compound. Ash has five or more leaflets in a neat row and single-winged seeds. Boxelder has three to seven leaflets, paired seeds, and a ragged shape. Young boxelder leaves with three leaflets are also mistaken for poison ivy, which has alternate leaves.
Where it grows
Boxelder is native to much of North America and is one of the most widely distributed maples. It grows fast on moist soils along streams and in disturbed places, and tolerates cold, drought and poor soil. It is short-lived.
Boxelder bugs
The seed-bearing female trees attract boxelder bugs, black insects with red markings. They gather on sunny walls in autumn and enter houses to overwinter. They are a nuisance but do not damage buildings or bite.
Uses
Boxelder is sometimes tapped for syrup, though the sap is less sweet than sugar maple's. In some regions it is grown in shelterbelts. In Britain and Europe it is planted as an ornamental, including the variegated form.