Boxelder, also called boxelder maple, is a North American maple with that can look like eastern poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). It grows along streams and floodplains in much of the United States.
Appearance
Appearance
Opposite compound leaves usually have three to five toothed leaflets. Young twigs are green, and female trees carry hanging clusters of paired winged fruits.
Growth form
This fast-growing deciduous tree is usually 35–60 ft (11–18 m) tall in Minnesota; its branches break easily in storms.
Flowers
It is , with small greenish-yellow male and female flowers on separate trees. The flowers appear with or before the leaves.
Flowering time
Across its U.S. range, it flowers from March through May.
Fruit
Paired ripen in fall and often remain on female trees into winter.
Boxelder has opposite leaves on woody twigs. Eastern poison ivy has alternate leaves and usually grows as a vine or low shrub; do not touch an uncertain plant.
Why they get mixed up · Young boxelder leaves commonly have three leaflets with a similar outline.
Where it lives
Typical habitats
streambanks
floodplains
low wet woods
urban sites
Range
It is native to North America and is widespread in the contiguous United States.
Preferred conditions
It favors moist, well-drained sites but tolerates many soils, cold, drought after establishment, brief flooding, and urban conditions.
Flowering
Flowers Mar–May
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Flowers
Flowers Mar–May
Life cycle
Reproduction
It produces abundant seed and can also sprout from injured roots, the root collar, or a stump.
Seed dispersal
Wind carries the winged seeds from fall into spring; birds and squirrels can also move them.
Connected species
Ties with other wildlife
Many birds and squirrels eat the seeds, especially during the colder months when fruits remain available.
Name and classification
Varieties and forms
The garden cultivar ‘Flamingo’ has green compound leaves with broad pink margins when young.
Conservation
IUCN Red List
LCLeast Concern·Low risk of extinction
Culture and stories
Culture and stories
Its association with boxelder bugs makes it a mixed choice for small urban yards.