Practical
Plants

Acer negundo

Box Elder

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Acer genus in the family Aceraceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Aceraceae
Genus
Acer
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
21 m
Spread
8 m
Fertility
self sterile
Flower type
dioecious
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Edible uses

The sap contains a reasonable quantity of sugar and can be used as a refreshing drink or be concentrated into a syrup[2][18][19][21][5]. The syrup is used as a sweetener on many foods. The sugar content is inferior to A. saccharum according to one report[4] whilst another says that it is highly valued as a producer of sweet sap[7]. The sugar from the sap of this tree is said to be whiter than that from other maples[7]. To obtain the sap, bore a hole on the sunny side of the trunk into the sapwood about 1 metre above the ground at anytime from about January 1st until the leaves appear[22]. The flow is best on a warm day after a frost[12]. The best sap production comes from cold-winter areas with continental climates. Inner bark - raw or cooked. It can be dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickener in soups etc or be added to cereal flours when making bread, cakes etc[17]. The inner bark can also be boiled until the sugar crystallizes out of it[17]. Self-sown seedlings, gathered in early spring, are eaten fresh or dried for later use[12]. Seeds - cooked. The wings are removed and the seeds boiled then eaten hot[12]. The seed is up to 12mm long and is produced in small clusters[21].

Plant part
Inner bark
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Sap
Plant part
Seed
Product or use
Sweetener

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

A tea made from the inner bark is used as an emetic[13][17].

Product or use
Emetic

Material uses

The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them[6][9]. A fairly wind-tolerant tree, it can be used in mixed plantings as a part of shelterbelt plantings[10]. Wood - soft, weak, light, close grained. It weighs 27lb per cubic foot[16]. Of little commercial value, it is used for boxes, cheap furniture, pulp, fuel etc[18][19][21][4][15]. Large trunk burls or knots have been used to make drums[17].

Product or use
Musical
Product or use
Preservative
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Environment

Range
N. America - Nova Scotia to Florida, west to California and Manitoba.
Habitat
Found in a variety of soil types, growing best in lowland sites along rivers, streams, ponds or seasonally flooded flats[15].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 2+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
high wind
Wind
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the following spring. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and then stratify for 2 - 4 months at 1 - 8°c. It can be slow to germinate. The seed can be harvested 'green' (when it has fully developed but before it has dried and produced any germination inhibitors) and sown immediately. It should germinate in late winter. If the seed is harvested too soon it will produce very weak plants or no plants at all[20][3]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until they are 20cm or more tall before planting them out in their permanent positions. Layering, which takes about 12 months, is successful with most species in this genus. Cuttings of young shoots in June or July. The cuttings should have 2 - 3 pairs of leaves, plus one pair of buds at the base. Remove a very thin slice of bark at the base of the cutting, rooting is improved if a rooting hormone is used. The rooted cuttings must show new growth during the summer before being potted up otherwise they are unlikely to survive the winter. The cuttings of this species usually root easily. Budding onto A. negundo in early summer usually works well. The bud should develop a small shoot in the summer otherwise it is unlikely to survive the winter.

Cultivation

Of easy cultivation, succeeding in most soils[11] but preferring a rich moist well-drained soil and a sunny position[2]. Grows well in heavy clay soils and in sandy soils[8]. Plants often become chlorotic on very alkaline soils[11]. Plants are hardy to about -18°c[11]. A fast growing but short-lived tree in the wild, living for 75 - 100 years[4][15]. It is fairly wind-tolerant[10], but the branches have a tendency to break in strong winds[14]. This species is cultivated commercially in Illinois for its sap[7]. Another report says that this is one of the least productive species for sugar[14]. A very ornamental plant[1], there are several named varieties[10]. This tree is a bad companion plant that is said to inhibit the growth of neighbouring plants[6][9]. This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[23][10]. Very tolerant of pruning, it can regenerate from old wood if it is cut back hard[11]. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

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  4. Vines. R. A. Trees of Central Texas. University of Texas Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-292-78958-3

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-253-28925-4

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  6. Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  7. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩

  9. Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978-00-00 ISBN 0-88266-064-0

    ↩1↩2

  10. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  11. Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-670-82929-3

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  12. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

    ↩1↩2↩3

  13. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩

  14. Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0889025649

    ↩1↩2

  15. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2↩3

  16. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩

  17. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  18. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  19. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2

  20. McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-901361-21-6

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  21. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩1↩2↩3

  22. Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9

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  23. RHS. The Garden. Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society 1987-00-00

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