Box Elder
Order:Sapindales
Family:Sapindaceae
Genus:Acer
Species:A. negundo
General Characteristics: Leaves are compound with 3-9 leaflets, opposite, and deciduous. Boxelder is the only pinnately compound maple in the U.S. Twigs are green to purplish-green with white fuzzy lateral buds. The leaf scars are V-shaped. The bark is gray-brown and grooved. The fruit is a double samara that matures in fall. Boxelder has the widest range of North American maples and is found on a range of sites, usually near rivers, lakes, and swamps, in the east and central U.S. It is intolerant of shade. The wood is soft and used for crates and pulp. The seeds are eaten by birds and small animals.
Special Adaptations: Many species of birds and squirrels feed on the seeds of boxelder.Mule deer and white-tailed deer use it in the fall as a browse species of secondary importance. This tree may be poisonous to livestock.
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