Boxelder
(Acer
negundo L)
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Boxelder is a maple. Its range is the greatest of all the maples.
It is found from Alberta, Canada, to the southern Rocky Mountains
to New York to Florida. In North Carolina, boxelder commonly grows
from the upper Coastal Plain and westward.
The boxelder's opposite leaves, unlike other maples, are pinnately
compound with three to seven (sometimes nine) leaflets which vary
greatly in size and shape. They are coarsely serrate and may have
one or two lobes. Current twigs are lustrous green. Terminal buds
are almost white and are quite hairy. While its three leaflets
can resemble those of poison ivy, boxelder bark is similar to
that of an ash tree, composed of marrow-brown, rounded, interlocking
ridges. The fruit is similar to that of red maple, but the wings
are nearly twice as long. It grows quickly but is short-lived.
The branches are brittle and break easily, and the tree usually
has a poor form. Boxelder has little value, except as high quality
pulp for papermaking. |
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