• broad, flat
  
• compound
  
• pinnately compound
  
• margins toothed
  
• leaflets different in size and shape

• paired wings
  
• wings close, less than 45 degrees apart
• winged seed about 1.5" - 2" long

This is the only maple tree in Ohio with compound leaves. The tree typically grows in moist bottomlands, and along streams and the margins of ponds and swamps. Sometimes it is found on drier banks. It grows throughout Ohio. The light, weak wood perhaps is best suited for pulp, but has been used for cheap furniture and woodenware. The Boxelder has been used as a shade tree and along streets, but its relatively short life and susceptibility to insects make it less useful than other kinds of trees.

Bark

Twigs and Buds