Click on the images help you identify a box elder.
Form
Height is 30 to 50 feet on favorable soils with a trunk diameter of up to 36 inches. Rather bushy on unfavorable soils; limbs and branches fragile. Trees are somewhat subject to fungus disease and attack by insects.
Bark
Bark is smooth and green on thin young branches, turning gray to light brown. On older trees, bark is deeply divided.
Leaf
Opposite on stem, length 5 to 8 inches, pinnately compound with three leaflets (rarely five to seven) that are smooth, lustrous green with irregularly toothed margins (often three lobed). Color turns yellow in autumn.
Fruit (seed)
Samara, 1 to 1-1/2 inch long. V-shaped pairs are winged and similar to that of sugar maple but smaller. Ripens in late summer or early fall. Often stays on trees all winter.
Range
Common throughout the state. Less abundant in the northeast. Grows naturally along streams and in cool ravines. Helps control erosion. Often a pioneer species, boxelder grows quickly and prolifically. Many young trees are destroyed by grazing and cultivation. A hardy tree for severe locations. Weak wood is prone to storm damage. Not recommended to be planted near buildings. Shade tolerant.
Wood uses
Creamy white, soft, light, and close-grained. Decays rapidly in contact with heat and moisture. Used occasionally for fuel. Has no general commercial value.