Acer negudo (Box-Elder), an Overlooked Native Tree
Although great strides have been made in gardening with native plants, a surprisingly large number of the approximately 2,800 plants native to Florida are overlooked or under-utilized by the gardening public, including native plant gardeners. One such plant is Acer negundo , commonly known as box-elder and, more rarely, as the ashleaf maple.
Growth habit in the spring after box-elder has flowered but before the foliage has grown to full size (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons ). If you live within the natural range of box-elder, I hope that you will give this easily-grown and adaptable native tree a place in your garden, and I have summarized below the information on box-elder that is of most interest to gardeners. Growth habit of a large, mature, multi-stemmed tree with fully-grown foliage (courtesy of Wikimedia Commons ). Scientific Name : Acer negundo Linnaeus Family : Sapindaceae Common Names: Box-Elder or Ashleaf Maple Habit: Sho...