Box Elder (Acer negundo)

Form

Height 30 to 50 feet on favorable soils, diameter may reach 18 inches; rather bushy on unfavorable soils; limbs and branches fragile; trunk often dividing near the ground, forming an unsymmetrical, open crown.

Bark

Smooth and green to purple on young branches; thin, grayish to light brown and deeply divided on old trees.

Fruit

A samara, 2 winged, hanging in clusters, similar to that of sugar maple, but smaller; ripens in late summer or early fall; often stays on trees all winter.

Range

Common throughout the state; grows naturally along streams and in cool ravines; fairly rapid-growing tree, prolific in reproduction.

Wood

Creamy white, soft, light and close-grained; decays rapidly in contact with heat and moisture; used occasionally for fuel; has no general commercial value.