It is a rather bewildering fact that boxelder is considered by many to be the best known and most widespread of the
native American maples. Considering, after all, that it isn't called a maple, and that many other
maples are also common in North America. Oh, and that its leaves don't usually have the
five-pointed iconic look of most other maples. I grew up on the Maine coast with one of these
in the front yard, and never once suspected it of being a closet maple tree.
Identification: Trees are up to 69′ (21 m) high
and about 26′ (8 m) around, unevenly
branched,
with
thin, shallowly furrowed gray or light brown bark. Young branches are light green. It is a tough
tree, tolerating both drought and up to 30 days of flooding. Leaves are opposite, in groups of 3-5 (rarely 7) leaflets,
each 2-4″ (5-10 cm) long. Leaf shapes are variable: pointed ovals with smooth edges, or a few spikes
similar to poison ivy leaves, or a more "maple-like" shape similar to red maple. The flowers are dioecious—that is, male flowers (Photo 5) occur on separate trees than female
flowers and fruits (Photo 12). The fruits are winged samaras.
Edibility: Boxelder sap, though not as sugary as that of sugarmaple, is sweet enough so that it is sometimes tapped for making syrup.
10 · 7/19/2017 · Monongahela National Forest, Monongahela, West Virginia · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)
11 · Female flowers and early formation of samaras. · 4/13/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain
12 · Female flowers and early formation of samaras. · 4/13/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain
13 · 7/19/2017 · Monongahela National Forest, Monongahela, West Virginia · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm)
15 · Female flowers and early formation of samaras. · 4/13/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 17 cm) ID is uncertain
16 · 4/13/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain
17 · Male flowers. · 4/13/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain