Boxelder
(Acer negundo)

Leaves: Opposite, compound, with three to five leaflets.

Twigs: Stout, green to purplish, covered at first with a bluish white bloom.

Fruit: A winged schizocarp borne in pairs, maturing in the fall and persisting into winter.

Bark: Finely ridged, light brown to almost black, with sometimes a greenish tinge.

The Tree: A fast growing, relatively short-lived tree with a short-stemmed, branchy, irregularly widespreading crown. It has been one of the most widely planted tree in ND . Native to river bottoms, ravines, and hilly regions of the state, it survived the dry thirties by dying back to the ground and then springing up anew iwth the coming moisture. It is highly sensitive to herbicide spray drift.

Wildlife Value: Fair, sumer cover and food ( buds, twigs, seeds, flowers, foliage) to several wildlife species, including upland game, song birds, fur bearers, game, small mammals and hoofed browsers.