MAPLE FAMILY
255. BOX ELDER (Acer negundo L.) a medium-sized tree fairly common in low woods and along stream banks. This is the only member of the family native to Dallas County. Leaves: pinnately compound, opposite, usually 5 leaflets, sometimes 3 or 7, 2½ to 5 in. long, light green, coarsely toothed. Twigs: usually green, smooth. Bark: gray, with regular, shallow furrows. Flowers: dioecious, very small, staminate forming green, silky tassels. Fruit: seeds with elongated wings, in pairs forming v’s, ripen and fall in autumn although their stems cling until spring. Wood: light, soft, close-grained; used for woodenware, interior finish and paper pulp. Sugar can be made from the sap. This tree grows rapidly in a moist situation but is short-lived.
255 box elder