Box Elder

Box elder, (Acer negundo), hardy and fast-growing tree, of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), native to the central and eastern United States.1

The box elder was widely planted for shade by early settlers in the prairie areas of the United States.1

Female trees affected by attack from boxelder bugs in mid summer.2

Boxelder maple leaves generally have three lobes that look like poison ivy leaves. Leaves are light green in spring and summer and turn yellow in the fall. The leaves have slightly serrated margins.3