FNPS Plant Database

Acer negundo

box-elder, ash-leaf maple

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

box-elder, ash-leaf maple

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Acer negundo

Family:

Sapindaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

30-70 ft tall by 20-40 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

Pinkish, not showy

Fruit Color:

green,brown

Phenology:

deciduous. Flowers in late winter. Fruits ripen in spring.

Noted For:

Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Its twisting shape makes it an interesting specimen tree.

Considerations:

Fast growing, fairly weak hence somewhat prone to breaking.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales, Friends

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Coming Soon!

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Short very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Clay, Loam

Soil pH:

6.0 - 7.0

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars, Mammals

Attracts pollinators, particularly native bees.   Larval host for Cecropia silkmoth ( Hyalophora cecropia ).

Squirrels and other rodents eat the seeds. 

Native Habitats:

Found naturally in floodplains. Has become widely established in ruderal settings.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Citations:

Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H.; [Technical coordinators] 1990. Silvics of North America: Volume 2. Hardwoods. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook 654 (  https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/1548 ). 



Huegel, Craig, N.  2010.  Native plant landscaping for Florida wildlife.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL. (wildlife uses).



Institute for Regional Conservation.  Accessed 2021-12-01.  https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Acernegu. (salt tolerance)



University of Tennessee Extension Service.  Desired Ph Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants.    https://extension.tennessee.edu/mtnpi/Documents/handouts/Fertility/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf   accessed 2021.



underlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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