Box Elder

Aceraceae

LIFE FORM: Tree

NATIVITY: Eastern North America

VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS:

Can grow to 60 feet tall; leaves pinnately compound, opposite, with 3 to 5 pale leaflets; twigs purplish with a white, waxy coat.

FLOWERS:

Conspicous racemes of green flowers in spring.

FRUIT/DISPERSAL AGENTS:

Paired, wind-dispersed samaras with wings that spread apart at 90 degrees.

ECOLOGICAL PREFERENCE:

Common alongs streams in full sun; often with multistemmed growth habit; freshwater wetlands, ponds and streams; riverbanks.

ENVIRONMENTAL FUNCTION:

Food and/or habitat for wildlife; stream and river bank stabilization; soil building on degraded land.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

Native Americans used a tea made from the bark to induce vomiting. This species has a widespread distribution across North America.