# Boxelder (Acer negundo)

> A fast, irregular, round-crowned tree and the only native maple with compound leaves, with green young twigs and little fall color. Female trees carry heavy clusters of winged seeds all winter and seed themselves everywhere, and the weak, multi-trunked wood breaks in storms and ice. It is a prairie windbreak staple and a pioneer on waste ground, but nurseries rarely sell it; male cultivars like 'Kelly's Gold' and 'Flamingo' avoid seeds and boxelder bugs.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/acer-negundo · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Manitoba maple, Ash-leaved maple
- Family: Sapindaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, drops leaves
- Mature height: 14 m; spread 12 m
- Growth: Fast growing; lives about 70 years
- USDA hardiness zones: 3 to 9
- Light: Sun or part shade
- Water: Moderate water
- Soil: Grows in almost any soil, wet or dry, acid or alkaline; natural home is floodplains
- Native range: Most of the United States east of the Rockies and south-central Canada from Alberta to Ontario, south to Mexico and Central America; its native status in southern Ontario is debated.

**Benefits:** Fast canopy, Flood tolerant, Drought tolerant, Windbreak, Wildlife, Birds, Edible

**Good for:** Windbreak, Streambanks, Reforestation

**Watch out for:** Weak wood, Short lived, Messy fruit, Allergenic pollen, Toxic parts, Invasive elsewhere

## Care

Needs little care; plant male cultivars to avoid seed litter and boxelder bugs, which breed on female trees and invade houses in fall. Prune for structure when dormant and expect storm cleanup. Anthracnose, powdery mildew, cankers and borers occur.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** Canada (Native to Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwestern Ontario; naturalized throughout southern Ontario.); United States (Native across most of the US east of the Rockies and in parts of the Southwest (more than 15 states).)
- **Invasive:** ON, Canada (Ontario Invasive Plant Council treats Manitoba maple as invasive in Ontario riparian and urban areas; its native status in southern Ontario is uncertain and ontario.ca calls it invasive across much of its range.)
- **Recommended:** Calgary, AB, Canada (On the City of Calgary Top Tree Species for Calgary list); San Jose, CA, United States (On the Our City Forest Community Nursery tree species list); Washington, DC, United States (On the Casey Trees Tree Rebate eligible species list); Dallas, TX, United States (On the City of Dallas Article X Approved Tree List)

## Sources

- https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/acer-negundo/
- https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/boxelder/
- https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/ACNE2
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_negundo
- https://www.ontario.ca/page/manitoba-maple
- https://www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/invasive-plants/species/manitoba-maple/