Boxelder is a distinctive maple of stream banks with distinctive green twigs and compound leaves reminiscent of poison-ivy or ash. An alternate common name is Ash-leaved Maple.

Chapel Hill, NC 5/2/2009.

The leaves are quite easy to tell from those of poison-ivy -- they're opposite, borne on green twigs, and most often have 5 leaflets per leaf (normal range is 3-7), while those of poison-ivy are alternate, not borne on green twigs, and have 3 leaflets per leaf.

Blacksburg, Montgomery Co., VA 7/13/07.

Durham Co., NC 5/3/08.

There are five varieties of A. negundo in the United States. In North Carolina var. negundo (with glabrous [smooth] twigs) is by far the most common; var. texanum (with puberulent [hairy] twigs) is rare in the western Mountains.

Orange Co., NC 4/20/03.

Female flowers in early spring turn into long clusters of paired samaras.

Granville Co., NC 4/27/03.

Long, pendant staminate (male) flowers appear slightly before the female flowers.

Durham, NC 3/19/2011.

Staminate flowers.

Durham, NC 3/19/2011.

Chapel Hill, NC 5/1/10.

Chapel Hill, NC 5/1/10.

The bark is shallowly ridged.

Blacksburg, Montgomery Co., VA 7/13/07.