Identifying a Volunteer Maple: It's a Boxelder

You have a small maple-like seedling and want to know if it’s a desirable sugar/red maple or a “weed.” The photo shows: boxelder (Acer negundo).

Boxelder Traits

• Pinnately compound leaves (3–7 leaflets)—unlike simple lobes of most maples.
• Fast-growing, weak-wooded, short-lived.
• Seeds prolifically; often considered a “trash tree.”
• Attracts boxelder bugs (nuisance indoors).

Names

Box Elder, Boxelder Maple, Ash-leaf Maple, Manitoba Maple, etc.

Keep or Remove?

• If you want a quality shade tree: remove it now while small.
• If you need quick cover in a tough spot and accept mess/bugs: keep it.

Resource

UWGB herbarium: Boxelder details

Bottom Line

It’s a boxelder—distinctive compound leaves confirm it. Decide based on your landscape goals.