Show a boxelder tree

Answer 1

Research found in the Audubon Societies book on trees of the eastern U.S. and more on a Wisconsin educational web site reveals the following:

A Boxelder trees foliage is like that of the Elder tree and sometimes mistaken for Poison Ivy as it has pinnately divided leaves in sets of 3 - 7 leaflets that are coarsely toothed and sometimes slightly lobed. The wood is white like that of Box trees and I found takes good to carving as long as you can work with occasional knots ( I carved a leaf design down the length of a Boxelder walking stick ). The bark is gray-brown with narrow fissures. The fruit is like that of Maples having pairs of 1-seeded long curved, flat wings. The trees are either male or female ( dioecious ) and the female can hold onto the fruit well into winter. The Audubon book states an interesting fact that the Plains Indians made sugar from the sap.

Both sources agree that Boxelders are fast growing and have become a weed tree in the eastern U.S. and they are often planted for shade. A slight parting comes when the Audubon book states they are easily broken in storms ( my walking stick came from a tree downed by the western N.Y. October storm of 2006 ) but the Wisconsin site states they are resistant to damage. This may be because they recover rapidly with multiple sprouts growing from any damaged areas. These sprouts make the general form of the overall tree undefinable. Our downed tree is still sprouting.

Answer 2

I'm unable to display images, but a boxelder tree is a fast-growing deciduous tree known for its compound leaves and greenish-yellow flowers that bloom in the spring. The tree produces winged seeds that are commonly referred to as "helicopter seeds" due to their spinning as they fall to the ground. It is often found in North America and is recognizable by its grayish bark with furrowed ridges.