Images of the Box Elder (Acer negundo)

Box Elder

Acer negundo

Native to North America, this maple has a thick trunk and translucent green leaves that turn yellow in the fall. This is the only North American maple with compound leaves. Its sap has been used in foods. It is also called Ash-leaf Maple and Three-leaf Maple.

Habitat:Wet soils, bottomlands and disturbed sites.

Growth Habit:Multipled-trunked, medium-sized tree, growing up to 20 m tall, with sprouting tendency.

Bloom Time:Early to late spring.

Longevity:Short-lived.

Presence in US:AL AR AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VA VT WA WI WV WY

Presence in Canada:AB BC MB NB NS NT ON PE SK

Contact us at [email protected] or follow @leafsnap on Twitter! View our Privacy Policy.

This project was supported in part by NSF Grant IIS-03-25867 (ITR: An Electronic Field Guide: Plant Exploration and Discovery in the 21st Century) and by the Washington Biologists' Field Club.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views, opinions, or policy of the National Science Foundation (NSF).