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| The boxelder maple (Acer negundo) is a fast-growing, drought-tolerant shade tree that naturally occurs in river bottoms with the likes of willows and cottonwoods but will grow under a wide variety of conditions. Our tree of the week, pictured center, is a 25-year-old boxelder. In 1994, it unexpectedly appeared growing in a pot in the campus greenhouse, located on the second floor of Mickle Hall. Two years later it was planted in the ground of the arboretum, only to be dug up 6 months later to avoid a construction crew. In March 1997, the boxelder was replanted in its current location. |
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| Our boxelder maple helps shade the gravel path that runs from the Student Union Building to the Fitness Center. |
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| Backing up, we can appreciate a slight westward bent. The boxelder leans westward because to the east a southern sugar maple out-competes it for sunlight. |
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| Unlike all other maples, boxelders have compound leaves. These pinnately compound leaves typically have 3 or 5 leaflets. Leafstalks are long, and they appear opposite from one another along the branchlet. In the photo above, we have a branchlet with 11 leaves and 33 leaflets. |
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| This particular leaf has 5 leaflets. Leafstalk and leaflets together measure 10 inches in length. |
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| Leaflets vary in size and shape, even on the same leaf. Ovate or elliptic leaflets with coarsely toothed margins are common. It's also common to see lobed leaflets. Leaves of young boxelders are often mistaken for poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). |
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| In this first week of July, the pale-green, immature fruits hang in long clusters from boxelder twigs. The fruits are numerous, but not showy. |
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| This cluster of fruits measures more than 5½ inches in length. Our tree of the week is laden with these inconspicuous drooping ornaments. |
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| Like the other maples, boxelders produce samaras, which are winged seeds. Each seed is attached to one wing for wind dispersal. The samaras appear in pairs attached to a stalk, altogether measuring more than 2 inches in length. |
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| Of course, nature is full of exceptions. Here we have 3 samaras fused together. |
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| Our 25-year-old boxelder has rough, light-gray bark with shallow furrows. |
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| Surface roots are noticeable along the gravel path. |
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| Surface roots can become tripping hazards and the roots themselves commonly suffer damage from trimmers and lawn mowers. |
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| Note the splotches of orange bark on this surface root. |
You can find more pictures of the arboretum's boxelder maples here.
For more information about this species consult the following online sources:
United States Department of Agriculture
U.S. Forest Service
Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours (LSU AgCenter)
Virginia Tech Dendrology
