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(Redirected from Boxelder)
'''Acer negundo''' is a species of maple native to North America. 'Box Elder', 'Boxelder Maple', and 'Maple Ash' are its most common names in the United States. In Canada it is known as 'Manitoba Maple'. In addition, there are other English names such as Ash Maple, Ash-leaf Maple, Black Ash, Boxelder Maple, California Boxelder, Cutleaf Maple, Cut-leaved Maple, Inland Boxelder, Negundo Maple, Red River Maple, Stinking Ash, Sugar Ash, Three-leaved Maple, and Western Boxelder. In Russia it is called 'American Maple' ().
Indicative of its familiarity to many people over a large geographic range, ''A. negundo'' has numerous common names.
The names "Box Elder" and "Boxelder Maple" are based upon the similarity of its whitish wood to that of boxwood and the similarity of its pinnately compound leaves with those of some species of elder.[1] This is the only North American maple with compound leaves. Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them, , Harriet L., Keeler, Charles Scriber's Sons, ,
Other common names are based upon this maple's similarity to ash, its preferred environment, its sugary sap, a description of its leaves, its binomial name, and so on.
These names include (but are not limited to) Ash-, Cut- or Three-leaf (or -leaved) Maple, Ash Maple, Sugar Ash, Negundo Maple, and River Maple.[2]
Common names may also designate a particular subspecies. For example, a common name for ''A. negundo'' subsp. ''interius'' may be preceded by "Inland" (as in "Inland Boxelder Maple"). A common name for ''A. negundo'' subsp. ''californicum'' may be preceded by "California" or "Western."
''A. negundo'' is a small, usually fast-growing and fairly short-lived tree that grows up to 10-25 m tall, with a trunk diameter of 30-50 cm, rarely up to 1 m diameter. It often has several trunks and can form impenetrable thickets.[3]
The shoots are green, often with a whitish to pink or violet waxy coating when young. Branches are smooth, somewhat brittle, and tend to retain a fresh green colour rather than forming a bark of dead, protective tissue. The bark on its trunks is pale gray or light brown, deeply cleft into broad ridges, and scaly.
Unlike most other maples (which usually have palmate leaves), ''A. negundo'' has pinnate leaves that have three to seven leaflets (usually three). Although some other maples (such as ''A. griseum'', ''Acer mandshuricum'' and the closely-related ''A. cissifolium'') have trifoliate leaves, only ''A. negundo'' regularly displays more than three leaflets.
Leaflets are about 5-10 cm long and 3-7 cm wide with slightly serrate margins. Leafs have a translucent light green colour and turn yellow in fall.
The flowers are small and appear in early spring on drooping racemes 10-20 cm long. The seeds are paired samaras, each seed slender, 1-2 cm long, with a 2-3 cm incurved wing; they drop in autumn or they may persist through winter. Seeds are usually both prolific and fertile.
Unlike most other maples, ''A. negundo'' is fully dioecious and both a "male" and "female" tree are needed for either to reproduce.
★ Winter buds: Terminal buds acute, an eighth of an inch long. Lateral buds obtuse. The inner scales enlarge when spring growth begins and often become an inch long before they fall.
★ Flowers: April, before the leaves, yellow green; staminate flowers in clusters on slender hairy pedicels one and a half to two inches long. Pistillate flowers in narrow drooping racemes.
★ Calyx: Yellow green; staminate flowers campanulate, five-lobed, hairy. Pistillate flowers smaller, five-parted; disk rudimentary.
★ Corolla: Wanting.
★ Stamens: Four to six, exserted; filaments slender, hairy; anthers linear, connective pointed.
★ Pistil: Ovary hairy, borne on disk, partly enclosed by calyx, two-celled, wing-margined. Styles separate at base into two stigmatic lobes.
★ Fruit: Maple keys, full size in early summer. Borne in drooping racemes, pedicels one to two inches long. Key an inch and a half to two inches long, nutlets diverging, wings straight or incurved. September. Seed half an inch long. Cotyledons, thin, narrow.
''A. negundo'' is often discussed as being comprised of three subspecies, each of which was originally described as a separate species. These are:
★ ''A. negundo'' subsp. ''negundo'' is the main variety and the type to which characteristics described in the article most universally apply. Its natural range is from the Atlantic Coast to the Rocky Mountains.
★ ''A. negundo'' subsp. ''interius'' has more leaf serration than the main species and a more matte leaf surface. As the name ''interus'' indicates, its natural range of Saskatchewan to New Mexico is sandwiched between that of the other two subspecies.
★ ''A. negundo'' subsp. ''californicum'' has larger leaves than the main species. Leaves also have a velvety texture which is essential to distinguish it from ''A. negundo'' subsp. ''negundo''. It is found in parts of California and Arizona.
Some authors further subdivide subsp. ''negundo'' into a number of regional varieties but these intergrade and their maintenance as distinct taxa is disputed by many. Even the differences between recognized subspecies are probably a matter of gradient speciation
Finally, note that a few botanists treat Boxelder Maple as its own distinct genus (''Negundo aceroides'') but this is not widely accepted.
As noted, varieties of Boxelder maple thrive across the United States and Canada. It may also be found as far south as Guatemala and it has become naturalized in eastern China.
Although native to North America, it is considered an invasive species in some areas of that continent. It can quickly colonize both cultivated and uncultivated areas. The range is therefore expanding both in North America and elsewhere.
It can also be found in some of the cooler areas of the Australian Continent where it is listed as a pest invasive species.
This species prefers bright sunlight. It often grows on flood plains and other disturbed areas with ample water supply, such as riparian habitats. Human influence has greatly favoured this species; it grows around houses and in hedges, as well as on disturbed ground and vacant lots.
Several birds and some squirrels feed on the seeds. The Evening Grosbeak uses them extensively. The Maple Bug (also known as the Boxelder Bug) lays its eggs on all maples, but prefers this species.
Although its weak wood, irregular form, and prolific seeding might make it seem like a poor choice for a landscape tree, ''A. negundo'' is one of the most common maples in cultivation and many interesting cultivars have been developed, including:
★ 'Auratum' - yellowish leaves with smooth undersides
★ 'Aureomarginatum' - creamy yellow leaf margins
★ 'Baron' - Hardier & seedless variety
★ 'Elegans' - distinctively convex leaves
★ 'Flamingo' - pink and white variegation (very popular)
★ 'Variegatum' - creamy white leaf margins
★ 'Violaceum' - younger shoots and branches have bluish color
Although its light, close-grained, and soft wood is considered undesirable for most uses, this tree has been considered as a commercial source of wood fibre, for use in fibreboard.
1. DePauw University
2. Acer spp.
Aceraceae Note that some of the common names given in this reference are questionable. "Stinking Ash" and "Black Ash" typically refer to ''Ptelea trifoliata'' and ''Fraxinus nigra'', respectively. This reference is retained as an example of the confusion which arises when plants such as ''A. negundo'' are discussed by other than their scientific names.
3. van Gelderen, C.J. & van Gelderen, D.M. (1999). ''Maples for Gardens: A Color Encyclopedia''.
★ Boxelder (''Acer negundo''): A Review and Commentary, , Robert R., Maeglin, Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, 1973
★ ''Acer negundo'' images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu
★ ''Acer negundo'' facts and diagnostic traits
'''Acer negundo''' is a species of maple native to North America. 'Box Elder', 'Boxelder Maple', and 'Maple Ash' are its most common names in the United States. In Canada it is known as 'Manitoba Maple'. In addition, there are other English names such as Ash Maple, Ash-leaf Maple, Black Ash, Boxelder Maple, California Boxelder, Cutleaf Maple, Cut-leaved Maple, Inland Boxelder, Negundo Maple, Red River Maple, Stinking Ash, Sugar Ash, Three-leaved Maple, and Western Boxelder. In Russia it is called 'American Maple' ().
| Contents |
| Common names |
| Description |
| Subspecies |
| Range |
| Ecology |
| Cultivation |
| References |
| External links |
Common names
Indicative of its familiarity to many people over a large geographic range, ''A. negundo'' has numerous common names.
The names "Box Elder" and "Boxelder Maple" are based upon the similarity of its whitish wood to that of boxwood and the similarity of its pinnately compound leaves with those of some species of elder.[1] This is the only North American maple with compound leaves. Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them, , Harriet L., Keeler, Charles Scriber's Sons, ,
Other common names are based upon this maple's similarity to ash, its preferred environment, its sugary sap, a description of its leaves, its binomial name, and so on.
These names include (but are not limited to) Ash-, Cut- or Three-leaf (or -leaved) Maple, Ash Maple, Sugar Ash, Negundo Maple, and River Maple.[2]
Common names may also designate a particular subspecies. For example, a common name for ''A. negundo'' subsp. ''interius'' may be preceded by "Inland" (as in "Inland Boxelder Maple"). A common name for ''A. negundo'' subsp. ''californicum'' may be preceded by "California" or "Western."
Description
''A. negundo'' is a small, usually fast-growing and fairly short-lived tree that grows up to 10-25 m tall, with a trunk diameter of 30-50 cm, rarely up to 1 m diameter. It often has several trunks and can form impenetrable thickets.[3]
The shoots are green, often with a whitish to pink or violet waxy coating when young. Branches are smooth, somewhat brittle, and tend to retain a fresh green colour rather than forming a bark of dead, protective tissue. The bark on its trunks is pale gray or light brown, deeply cleft into broad ridges, and scaly.
Unlike most other maples (which usually have palmate leaves), ''A. negundo'' has pinnate leaves that have three to seven leaflets (usually three). Although some other maples (such as ''A. griseum'', ''Acer mandshuricum'' and the closely-related ''A. cissifolium'') have trifoliate leaves, only ''A. negundo'' regularly displays more than three leaflets.
Leaflets are about 5-10 cm long and 3-7 cm wide with slightly serrate margins. Leafs have a translucent light green colour and turn yellow in fall.
The flowers are small and appear in early spring on drooping racemes 10-20 cm long. The seeds are paired samaras, each seed slender, 1-2 cm long, with a 2-3 cm incurved wing; they drop in autumn or they may persist through winter. Seeds are usually both prolific and fertile.
Unlike most other maples, ''A. negundo'' is fully dioecious and both a "male" and "female" tree are needed for either to reproduce.
★ Winter buds: Terminal buds acute, an eighth of an inch long. Lateral buds obtuse. The inner scales enlarge when spring growth begins and often become an inch long before they fall.
★ Flowers: April, before the leaves, yellow green; staminate flowers in clusters on slender hairy pedicels one and a half to two inches long. Pistillate flowers in narrow drooping racemes.
★ Calyx: Yellow green; staminate flowers campanulate, five-lobed, hairy. Pistillate flowers smaller, five-parted; disk rudimentary.
★ Corolla: Wanting.
★ Stamens: Four to six, exserted; filaments slender, hairy; anthers linear, connective pointed.
★ Pistil: Ovary hairy, borne on disk, partly enclosed by calyx, two-celled, wing-margined. Styles separate at base into two stigmatic lobes.
★ Fruit: Maple keys, full size in early summer. Borne in drooping racemes, pedicels one to two inches long. Key an inch and a half to two inches long, nutlets diverging, wings straight or incurved. September. Seed half an inch long. Cotyledons, thin, narrow.
Subspecies
''A. negundo'' is often discussed as being comprised of three subspecies, each of which was originally described as a separate species. These are:
★ ''A. negundo'' subsp. ''negundo'' is the main variety and the type to which characteristics described in the article most universally apply. Its natural range is from the Atlantic Coast to the Rocky Mountains.
★ ''A. negundo'' subsp. ''interius'' has more leaf serration than the main species and a more matte leaf surface. As the name ''interus'' indicates, its natural range of Saskatchewan to New Mexico is sandwiched between that of the other two subspecies.
★ ''A. negundo'' subsp. ''californicum'' has larger leaves than the main species. Leaves also have a velvety texture which is essential to distinguish it from ''A. negundo'' subsp. ''negundo''. It is found in parts of California and Arizona.
Some authors further subdivide subsp. ''negundo'' into a number of regional varieties but these intergrade and their maintenance as distinct taxa is disputed by many. Even the differences between recognized subspecies are probably a matter of gradient speciation
Finally, note that a few botanists treat Boxelder Maple as its own distinct genus (''Negundo aceroides'') but this is not widely accepted.
Range
As noted, varieties of Boxelder maple thrive across the United States and Canada. It may also be found as far south as Guatemala and it has become naturalized in eastern China.
Although native to North America, it is considered an invasive species in some areas of that continent. It can quickly colonize both cultivated and uncultivated areas. The range is therefore expanding both in North America and elsewhere.
It can also be found in some of the cooler areas of the Australian Continent where it is listed as a pest invasive species.
Ecology
''A. negundo'' leaves and seeds
This species prefers bright sunlight. It often grows on flood plains and other disturbed areas with ample water supply, such as riparian habitats. Human influence has greatly favoured this species; it grows around houses and in hedges, as well as on disturbed ground and vacant lots.
Several birds and some squirrels feed on the seeds. The Evening Grosbeak uses them extensively. The Maple Bug (also known as the Boxelder Bug) lays its eggs on all maples, but prefers this species.
Cultivation
Although its weak wood, irregular form, and prolific seeding might make it seem like a poor choice for a landscape tree, ''A. negundo'' is one of the most common maples in cultivation and many interesting cultivars have been developed, including:
★ 'Auratum' - yellowish leaves with smooth undersides
★ 'Aureomarginatum' - creamy yellow leaf margins
★ 'Baron' - Hardier & seedless variety
★ 'Elegans' - distinctively convex leaves
★ 'Flamingo' - pink and white variegation (very popular)
★ 'Variegatum' - creamy white leaf margins
★ 'Violaceum' - younger shoots and branches have bluish color
Although its light, close-grained, and soft wood is considered undesirable for most uses, this tree has been considered as a commercial source of wood fibre, for use in fibreboard.
References
1. DePauw University
2. Acer spp.
Aceraceae Note that some of the common names given in this reference are questionable. "Stinking Ash" and "Black Ash" typically refer to ''Ptelea trifoliata'' and ''Fraxinus nigra'', respectively. This reference is retained as an example of the confusion which arises when plants such as ''A. negundo'' are discussed by other than their scientific names.
3. van Gelderen, C.J. & van Gelderen, D.M. (1999). ''Maples for Gardens: A Color Encyclopedia''.
★ Boxelder (''Acer negundo''): A Review and Commentary, , Robert R., Maeglin, Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, 1973
External links
★ ''Acer negundo'' images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu
★ ''Acer negundo'' facts and diagnostic traits
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