Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Malvids: Sapindales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Acer negundo var. negundo
FAMILY
Sapindaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Box Elder at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Acer negundo var. negundo
FAMILY
Aceraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Acer negundo var. negundo
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Acer negundo var. negundo
INCLUDING Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Acer negundo var. violaceum
INCLUDED WITHIN Aquatic & Wetland Plants of Southeastern US (Godfrey & Wooten, 1979 & 1981)
Acer negundo
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 115-01-001:
Acer negundo FAMILY Aceraceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Negundo negundo
COMMON NAME:
Eastern Box Elder, Ash-leaved Maple, River Maple
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Trees You Want to Know (Peattie, 1934); illustration by F.A. Michaux dcp34_p43
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_732
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_acer_negundo
February
With age, bark develops shallow fissures with narrow, often rounded, ridges, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm170320_151
March Laurens County SC
Charlie Lollis Memorial Park
Staminate flowers in long-stalked clusters, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Keith Bradley kab_acer_negundo_2081
March Lexington County SC
Three Rivers Greenway
)
Keith Bradley kab_acer_negundo_2091
March Lexington County SC
Three Rivers Greenway
Pistillate flowers in long-stalked pendulous racemes, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow s050316_h
March Rutherford County NC
Leaf scars opposite; terminal bud present; twigs red or green.
)
JK Marlow jkm0504j_09
April Greenville County SC
Roadside
Flowers appear in early spring before the leaves, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
COMPARE
flowers of Maple species
)
JK Marlow jkm100513_034
May Greenville County SC
Lake Conestee Nature Park
Samara wing 2-3cm long, body 1.5-2cm long, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow s050511_a
May Greenville County SC
Cleveland Park
Leaflets coarsely toothed or slightly lobed on margins, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow s050511_b
May Greenville County SC
Cleveland Park
)
JK Marlow s050706_a
July Greenville County SC
Can be mistaken for Poison Ivy, but that has alternate leaves, per Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988).
COMPARE
leaves of Poison Ivy and others confused with it
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_acer_negundo_4
August
)
JK Marlow jkm121006_335
October Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
Fruit is paired samaras, borne in drooping clusters, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
)
JK Marlow jkm121024_685
October Cherokee County NC
Murphy River Walk
)
JK Marlow jkm0211d_06
November Greenville County SC
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Acer negundo var. negundo
FAMILY
Sapindaceae
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Acer negundo var. negundo
FAMILY
Aceraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Acer negundo var. negundo
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Acer negundo var. negundo
INCLUDING
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Acer negundo var. violaceum
INCLUDED WITHIN
Aquatic & Wetland Plants of Southeastern US (Godfrey & Wooten, 1979 & 1981)
Acer negundo
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 115-01-001:
Acer negundo
FAMILY
Aceraceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Negundo negundo
11
Tree
Perennial
Dioecious
Habitat: Riverbanks, swamps, bottomlands, also upslope on calcareous substrates, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (uncommon in GA Coastal Plain)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
DOES THE PLANT HAVE "MILKY SAP"?
Does not have milky sap
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Pinnately compound
Opposite
FLOWER:
Spring
Yellowish-green
Radially symmetrical
5 sepals
Unisexual
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Yellowish-green->Brown
Schizocarp composed of two 1-seeded samaras
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007) p168
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p046
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p053
- The Sibley Guide to Trees (Sibley, 2009) p346
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p053
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p04
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p220
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p048
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