General: Boxelder (Acer negundo) is a modest tree of wet places. The leaves are compound with three leaflets, and each leaflet is deeply notched (often forming a 3-pointed leaflet). Petioles are red. Seeds are produced in bunches that hang from small branchlet; each seed has a wing that catches in the wind.

Boxelder are found along washes, rivers, and other wet areas in the Upper Sonoran (Pinyon-Juniper Woodland) and Transition (Yellow Pine Forest) life zones.

Around Las Vegas, Boxelder can most easily be found in the moist canyons of Zion National Park.

Family: Maple (Aceraceae).

Other Names:

Plant Form: Upright, branching tree.

Height: 20 to 60 ft.

Trunk:

Leaves: Leaves compound (3 leaflets). Leaflets deeply notched.

Flowers: Not showy, has no petals.

Seeds: Seeds are produced in bunches that hang from small branchlets; each seed has a wing (samara) that catches in the wind.

Distribution: Throughout the United States.

Habitat: Washes, river corridors, springs.

Elevation: To about 6,000 feet.

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