LA Urban Forest Program

Chilopsis is a monotypic genus of flowering plants containing the single species Chilopsis linearis. It is a shrub or tree native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. The common name is desert willow or desert-willow because of its willow-like leaves, but it is a member of the bignonia family, Bignoniaceae. It is commonly seen in washes and along riverbanks at elevations below 1800m in its range. less ↑

Cinnamomum camphora (commonly known as Camphor tree, Camphorwood or camphor laurel) is a large evergreen tree that grows up to 20–30 metres tall. The leaves have a glossy, waxy appearance and smell of camphor when crushed. In spring it produces bright green foliage with masses of small white flowers. It produces clusters of black berry-like fruit around one centimetre in diameter. It has a pale bark that is very rough and fissured vertically. less ↑

The loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) is a species of flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to south-central China. It is a large evergreen shrub or small tree, grown commercially for its yellow fruit, and also cultivated as an ornamental plant. It was formerly thought to be closely related to the genus Mespilus, and is still sometimes known as the Japanese medlar. It is also known as Japanese plum and Chinese plum. In Japan it is called... less ↑

The River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) is a tree of the genus Eucalyptus. It is one of around 800 in the genus. It is a plantation species in many parts of the world, but is native to Australia, where it is widespread, especially beside inland water courses. Oddly, it is named for a private estate garden near the Camaldoli monastery near Naples (L'Hortus Camaldulensis di Napoli), from where the first specimen came to be described. Material... less ↑

Eucalyptus rudis, Flooded gum, is a medium sized tree with rough, dark and light grey bark, however north of Perth it intergrades with Eucalyptus camaldulensis var. obtusa so the bark may be smooth and very similar to Eucalyptus camaldulensis. Leaves are stalked, alternate, ovate to orbicular 12 x 7 cm, slightly discolourous and dull grey-green. White flowers appear in winter to late spring. less ↑

Ficus macrophylla, commonly known as the Moreton Bay Fig, is a large evergreen banyan tree of the Moraceae family that is a native of most of the eastern coast of Australia, from the Atherton Tableland (17° S) in the north to the Illawarra (34° S) in New South Wales, and Lord Howe Island. Its common name is derived from Moreton Bay in Queensland, Australia. It is best known for its beautiful buttress roots. less ↑

Geijera parviflora, commonly known as the Wilga or Native Willow, is a small tree or bush found in inland parts of eastern Australia. It features thin drooping leaves, up to 18 cm (7 in) long. It was first described by English botanist John Lindley in 1848, Other vernacular names include sheepbush and dogwood. The specific epithet parviflora is from the Latin, meaning "small flowers". less ↑

Platanus racemosa is a species of sycamore tree known by several common names, including California sycamore, Western sycamore, California plane tree, and in Spanish Aliso. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in riparian areas, canyons, floodplains, at springs and seeps, and along streams and rivers in several types of habitats. less ↑

Prunus ilicifolia (Common names: "Hollyleaf cherry", "Evergreen cherry"; "Islay" - Salinan Native American) is an evergreen shrub to tree, producing edible cherries, with shiny and spiny toothed leaves similar in appearance to holly. It is native to the chaparral areas of coastal California and northern Baja California, as well as the desert chaparral areas of the Mojave desert. less ↑

Salix exigua (sandbar willow, narrowleaf willow, or coyote willow; syn. S. argophylla, S. hindsiana, S. interior, S. linearifolia, S. luteosericea, S. malacophylla, S. nevadensis, and S. parishiana) is a species of willow native to most of North America except for the southeast and far north, occurring from Alaska east to New Brunswick, and south to northern Mexico. less ↑

Jacaranda mimosifolia is a sub-tropical tree native to South America that has been widely planted elsewhere because of its beautiful and long-lasting blue flowers. It is also known as Jacaranda, Blue Jacaranda, Black Poui, or as the fern tree. Older sources give it the systematic name Jacaranda acutifolia, but it is nowadays more usually classified as Jacaranda mimosifolia. In scientific usage, the name "Jacaranda" refers to the genus Jacaranda, which has many other members, but in... less ↑

Jubaea chilensis (Chilean Wine Palm) is the sole extant species in the genus Jubaea in the palm family Arecaceae. It is native to southwestern South America, where it is endemic to a small area of central Chile, between 32°S and 35°S in southern Coquimbo, Valparaíso, Santiago, O'Higgins and northern Maule regions. It was long assumed that the extinct palm tree of Easter Island belonged to this genus too, but it is distinct and now placed in... less ↑

Koelreuteria bipinnata, also known as (Chinese flame tree, Chinese golden rain tree, Bougainvillea golden-rain tree") is a species of Koelreuteria native to Asia, particularly to China. It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree growing between 10–20 meters tall. They are also one of the few trees that bloom in the summer. They can live from 50 to 150 years. less ↑

Laurus nobilis is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glossy leaves, native to the Mediterranean region. It is one of the plants used for bay leaf seasoning in cooking. It is known as bay laurel, sweet bay, bay tree (esp. United Kingdom), true laurel, Grecian laurel,laurel tree or simply laurel. Laurus nobilis figures prominently in classical Greek, Roman, and Biblical culture. less ↑

Liriodendron tulipifera — known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tuliptree, tulip poplar, whitewood, fiddle-tree, and yellow poplar — is the Western Hemisphere representative of the two-species genus Liriodendron, and the tallest eastern hardwood. It is native to eastern North America from Southern Ontario and Illinois eastward across southern New England and south to central Florida and Louisiana. It can grow to more than 50 m (165 feet) in virgin cove forests of the Appalachian Mountains,... less ↑

Notholithocarpus densiflorus, commonly known as the tanoak or tanbark-oak, is an evergreen tree in the beech family (Fagaceae), native to the western United States, in California as far south as the Transverse Ranges, north to southwest Oregon, and east in the Sierra Nevada. It can reach 40 m (130 ft) tall (though 15–25 m (49–82 ft) is more usual) in the California Coast Ranges, and can have a trunk diameter of 60–190 cm (24–75 in). less ↑

Magnolia grandiflora, commonly known as the southern magnolia or bull bay, is a tree of the family Magnoliaceae native to the southeastern United States, from Virginia south to central Florida, and west to eastern Texas and Oklahoma. Reaching 27.5 m (90 ft) in height, it is a large striking evergreen tree with large dark green leaves and large white fragrant flowers. Widely cultivated around the world, over a hundred cultivars have been bred and marketed commercially. The timber... less ↑

Melaleuca quinquenervia, commonly known as broad-leaved paperbark, the paper bark tea tree or niaouli, is a small- to medium-sized tree of the allspice family, Myrtaceae. The plant is native to New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and coastal eastern Australia, from Botany Bay in New South Wales northwards, into Queensland and the Northern Territory. It has become naturalised in the Everglades in Florida, where it is considered a serious weed by the USDA. less ↑

Melia azedarach, commonly known by many names, including white cedar,chinaberry tree,bead-tree, Cape lilac,syringa berrytree,Persian lilac, and Indian lilac, is a species of deciduous tree in the mahogany family, Meliaceae, that is native to Indomalaya and Australasia. The genus Melia includes four other species, occurring from southeast Asia to northern Australia. They are all deciduous or semi-evergreen trees. less ↑

Metrosideros excelsa (pōhutukawa, New Zealand pohutukawa, New Zealand Christmas tree) is a coastal evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that produces a brilliant display of red flowers made up of a mass of stamens. The pōhutukawa is one of twelve Metrosideros species endemic to New Zealand. Renowned for its vibrant colour and its ability to survive even perched on rocky, precarious cliffs, it has found an important place in New Zealand culture for its strength... less ↑

Phoenix dactylifera (date, or date palm) is a palm in the genus Phoenix, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around Iraq. It grows 70–75 feet (21–23 m) in height, growing singly or forming a clump with several stems from a single root system. The leaves are 4–6 metres (13–20 ft) long, with spines on the petiole, and pinnate, with about 150 leaflets;... less ↑

Photinia serratifolia (syn. Photinia serrulata), commonly called Chinese photinia is a flowering shrub or tree in the Rosaceae family of flowering plants, found in mixed forests of China, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and India. It grows typically 4–6 m (13–20 ft), sometimes up to 12 m (39 ft), tall. Its leaves are toxic due to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides. less ↑

Pistacia chinensis (English: Chinese pistache; Chinese: 黄连木; pinyin: huángliánmù) is a small to medium-sized tree in the genus Pistacia in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae, native to central and western China. It is hardy, can withstand harsh conditions and poor quality soils, and grows up to 20 m. The leaves are deciduous, alternate, pinnate, 20-25 cm long, with 10 or 12 leaflets, the terminal leaflet usually absent. The flowers are produced in panicles 15-20 cm long at... less ↑

A small tree, up to 25 metres in height and a trunk diameter of 45 cm. The bark is grey, irregular, not smooth and almost corky. Leaves alternate, toothed in uneven patterns in the top half of the leaf. Not toothed closer to the stem. Rhomboid in shape, 5 to 10 cm long and 4 to 7 cm wide. Midrib, lateral and net veins easily seen on both the upper and lower leaf surface.

Small white flowers occur in a terminal corymb from November to January. Fruit is an orange pear shaped capsule, 9 mm long with two or three oval black seeds. Fruits mature from February to May. Germination from fresh seed is slow, taking up to four months with around a third of seeds sending out roots and shoots. less ↑

Prosopis glandulosa, commonly known as honey mesquite, is a species of small to medium-sized flowering tree in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is native to the Southwestern United States and Mexico, growing as far north as southern Kansas and as far east as the eastern fifth of Texas, where average annual rainfall is in excess of 40 inches (100 cm). It can be part of the Mesquite Bosque plant association community. less ↑

Prunus caroliniana, known as the Carolina Cherry Laurel, with syns. Cherry Laurel, Carolina Cherry, Laurelcherry or Wild Mock Orange, is a flowering tree native to the Southeastern United States, from North Carolina south to Florida and westward to eastern Texas. It was once classified as Laurocerasus caroliniana. It is not to be confused with its European relative Prunus laurocerasus, which is also called Cherry Laurel, though mainly known as English Laurel in the U.S. less ↑

Tree, c. 15 m tall; bark dark brown. Leaf imparipinnate, 30-45 cm long; leaflets 11-17, c. 7.5-15 cm long, 5-6 cm broad, elliptic-oblong, glabrous. Inflorescence a raceme, arising from the old wood. Flowers yellow to orange-red. Pedicel c. 16-22 mm long. Calyx cup shaped, teeth obtuse. Vexillum c. 3 cm long. Fruit c. 20-22.5 cm long, c. 5 cm wide, turgid, woody, spongy inside between the seeds. less ↑

Tree up to 15 m tall. Young shoots tomentose. Leaves elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 14-22.5 x 5-9 cm, nerves 11-14 pairs, rarely more, prominent on the under surface, ending in serrations at the margin, coriaceous, glabrous, acuminate, pale green and puberulous on the under surfaces; leaf-base often oblique. Male spikes 14-19 cm long, lax, pubescent. Female flowers solitary or in clusters of 3. Nut enclosed in a dense spiny involucre. less ↑

Species characteristics:
Form -Nearly evergreen. Fast growing to 20- 25'. A shapely, graceful, open-headed, low-spreading tree with a bushy spreading crown and slightly pendent branch tips.

Trunk -Slightly furrowed reddish brown bark occasionally marked with vertical streaks.

Foliage -Pinnately compound, green leaves 12 to 18" long with up to 12 pairs of narrow leaflets 1 1/2 to 2 1/2" long and 1/2 -3/4" wide.

Flowers/fruit -Deep yellow flowers 2 to 3" wide in 6 to 8" rounded terminal clusters through July and August, with occasional blooms later. Straight green woody pods turn dark brown and twisting with maturity, reaching 16" long and 1" thick. The pods are 4-sided and almost square in cross section and very hard.

Source URL:
http://bss.lacity.org/UrbanForestry/StreetTree/CassiaLeptophylla.htm

This semi-deciduous tree is native to southern Brazil but grows well in subtropical regions of the United States, such as Florida, Texas, and Hawaii. This tree requires well-drained soil with little threat of freezing temperatures and should be grown in direct sunlight for full flowering potential. The gold medallion tree can reach heights of 30–40 feet with proper pruning. The dark green leaves are pinnately compound and alternately arranged. Leaves are made up of 8–12 oval- to spear-shaped leaflets that are generally 2–3 inches long and ½ inch wide. The bark and new woody stems are brown and smooth. Blooms are showy, yellow flowers that appear in spherical clusters around the canopy of the tree in the summer months, and fruits are foot-long dry pods.

Species
The species name leptophylla is a combination of the Greek words lepto meaning “fine or slender” and phylla meaning “leaves,” which together mean “slender leaves.”

Common Name
Gold / Golden medallion tree
The names “gold medallion tree” or “golden medallion tree” refer to the bright yellow flowers that appear in spherical clusters thought to resemble "medallions" around the outer canopy of the tree.

Source URL:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr363 less ↑

Trees to 20 m tall. Branchlets with short pubescence, often also with long spreading hairs. Petiole 1-2 cm; leaf blade elliptic-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 10-17 cm or rarely shorter, at least along veins abaxially tomentose to softly pubescent, adaxially scalelike glands sometimes absent, base rounded to truncate, margin coarsely serrate, apex acute to acuminate. Male inflorescences 10-20 cm. Cupule densely covered with pubescent spinelike bracts. Nuts usually 2 or 3 per cupule, 2-3 cm in diam. or rarely narrower. Fl. Apr-Jun, fr. Aug-Oct. less ↑

Small to large tree. Younger branches armed with robust spines up to 2 cm long. Leaves simple, opposite, more or less broadly elliptic, up to 22 cm long, hairless when mature, translucent gland-dots present, aromatic when crushed, margin entire and wavy. Flowers in dense axillary heads, large and showy, pale to deep pink with a darker purple marrom glandular spots; petals long and narrow, alternating with petal-like staminodes. Fruit a 5-lobed capsule up to 3.5 cm in diameter, covered in tubercles, yellow-green when young to brown and woody when ripe, dehiscing from the base, valves remaining connected to the stalk at the apex. less ↑

A small to medium sized, 3-12 (-16) m tall, dioecious, deciduous tree, upright branches from the base and grey, smooth bark. Young shoots densely villous. Leaves papery, with a densely hairy, (1.5-) 2-12 (-15) cm long petiole; lamina obliquely broad ovate to ovate-elliptic or ± oblong, 4.18 (-20) cm (2-) 3-14 (-16) cm broad, scabrous above, densely soft hairy beneath especially along the veins, entire or serrulate to finely dentate, unlobed or palmately deeply divided with open to close broad obtuse sinuses, 3-costate from truncate to shallowly cordate base, apex short acuminate; stipules ovate, 5-15 mm long, 4-10 mm broad, densely hairy, acuminate. Male catkins axillary or crowded at termini of young shoots, (2-) 5-15 cm long inclusive upto 2 an long hairy peduncles. Male flowers: sepals ovate 1.5-2 mm long, c. 1 mm wide, whitish hairy outside; stain final filaments longer than sepals, with much extorted oval anthers. Female heads globose, solitary on 5-8 (-10) mm long hairy peduncles, 10-20 mm in diameter. Female flowers: sepals oblong connate, c. 2 mm long, with acute long hairy tips; ovary stipitate, included with c. 5-6 mm long, filiform, pink styles. Etaerio of drupes globose, 2-3 cm diameter, orange-red. less ↑

Trees , to 25 m; trunks usually several, crowns spreading. Bark of mature trunks and branches creamy to silvery white, smooth, exfoliating as long strands; lenticels dark, horizontally expanded. Branches pendulous; twigs glabrous, usually dotted with small resinous glands. Leaf blade broadly ovate to rhombic with 5--18 pairs of lateral veins, 3--7 × 2.5--5 cm, base cuneate, rarely truncate, margins coarsely and sharply doubly serrate, apex acuminate; surfaces abaxially glabrous to sparsely pubescent, covered with minute, resinous glands. Infructescences erect to nearly pendulous, cylindric, 2--3.5 × 0.6--1 cm, shattering with fruits in fall; scales adaxially sparsely pubescent, lobes diverging at middle, central lobe obtuse, much shorter than lateral lobes, lateral lobes broad, rounded, extended. Samaras with wings much broader than body, broadest near center, extended beyond body apically. 2 n = 28, 56. less ↑

Trees , to 25 m; trunks often several, crowns round. Bark of mature trunks and branches grayish brown, yellowish, reddish, or creamy white, smooth, irregularly shredding and exfoliating in shaggy sheets when mature; lenticels dark, horizontally expanded. Twigs without wintergreen taste or odor, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, often with scattered, tiny, resinous glands. Leaf blade rhombic-ovate, with 5--12 pairs of lateral veins, 4--8 × 3--6 cm, base broadly cuneate to truncate, margins coarsely doubly serrate to dentate, apex acuminate; surfaces abaxially moderately pubescent to velutinous, especially along major veins and in vein axils, often with scattered, minute, resinous glands. Infructescences erect, conic or nearly globose, 1.5--3 × 1--2.5 cm, shattering with fruits in late spring or early summer; scales often persistent into early winter, lobes 3, ascending, branching distal to middle, narrow, elongate, equal to somewhat unequal in length, apex acute. Samaras with wings narrower than body, usually broadest near summit, not extended beyond body apically. 2 n = 28. less ↑

Palmacea (Palm Family)
Origin: Mexico (Guadalupe Island)

SPECIES CHARACTERISTICS: Evergreen tree, Fan Palm tree. Moderate growth rate, 15 - 25' in height with 10 - 20' spread.
FOLIAGE: Palmate frond leaf type, 3' wide, green in color, with long smooth unarmed stalks.
FLOWERS: Long, slender inflorescence. Yellow.
FRUIT: Succulent, indehiscent, egg shaped drupe, edible, green to black in color. 1" in size.
EXPOSURE: Full sun. Hardiness; Sunset zones: 13 - 24.
SOIL: Well drained.
WATER: Supplemental water.
PESTS/DISEASES: No significant pests.
PRUNING: To remove dead fronds.
PROPAGATION: Seed.
USES: Accent, background, edible fruit, right of way, specimen, tropical.

Source URL:
http://bss.lacity.org/UrbanForestry/StreetTree/BraheaEdulis.htm less ↑

Trees to 40 m tall, to 2.3 m d.b.h., evergreen; stem straight, branching lower; bark gray-brown to brown, ca. 1 cm thick, with red latex; branchlets glabrous. Leaves palmately 3(-5)-foliolate; stipules membranous, lanceolate, ca. 8 mm, caducous; petiole 8-20 cm; terminal petiolule 2-5 cm, lateral petiolules 5-20 mm; leaflet blades ovate, elliptic, obovate, or elliptic-ovate, 7-15 × 4-8 cm, papery, sparsely pubescent only on nerves, glabrescent, base broadly cuneate to obtuse, margins with 2 or 3 teeth per cm, apex acute or caudate-acuminate. Plants dioecious. Inflorescence axillary, paniculate; male peduncle 8-13 cm, puberulent to glabrous, female peduncle 15-27 cm, pendent. Male flowers to 2.5 mm in diam.; sepals membranous, semiorbicular, adaxially concave, ladle-shaped, abaxially puberulent outside; filaments short; pistillode small, peltate, pubescent. Female flowers: sepals similar to male but oblong-ovate, margins membranous; ovary smooth, glabrous, 3- or 4-locular; styles 3 or 4, linear, entire. Fruits globose or subglobose, 6-13 mm in diam., brownish. Seeds oblong, ca. 5 mm. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Aug-Oct. less ↑

A medium sized tree with ashy to dark brown bark, young parts pubescent. Leaves petiolate, petiole 2.5-5 cm long, lamina 7.0-18 cm long, rather longer than broad, 9-11 nerved, cleft about halfway down into 2 acute or rounded lobes, minutely pubescent below when young. Inflorescence few flowered panicles at the ends of the branches. Flowers pedicellate, pedicel c. 5-13 mm long; tomentose, bract c. 3 mm long, bracteole c. 2 mm long. Hypanthium 7-10 mm long. Calyx c. 2.5-3.0 cm long, usually splitting into two reflexed segments, one emarginate the other 3 toothed. Petals 3.7-5 cm long, oblanceolate, long clawed, spreading, veined. Stamens usually 3 fertile, others reduced to antherless filaments. Ovary downy, long stalked; style long, stigma oblique. Pod 15-25 cm long, c. 1.5-2 cm broad; stalk c. 2 cm long. Seeds 12-15, almost round, c. 1.2-1.3 cm in diameter, brown, smooth. less ↑

General: Heath family (Ericaceae). Pacific madrone is an evergreen tree that is native to the northwestern Coast Ranges of North America. The trees have single or multiple trunks with rounded, spreading crowns. Mature trees reach heights of 6m to 30m or more depending on environmental conditions. The alternately arranged leaves are oval, (7 to 15 cm long), thick, and have finely serrated margins. The leaf surfaces are glossy dark green above with lighter grayish green beneath. Leaves remain on the plant for two years before they are shed. The striking cinnamon red bark is thin and smooth. The bark on young branches peels in large papery flakes to reveal an attractive, satiny green surface beneath that darkens with time to deep red. In midsummer, the exfoliated bark, along with shed leaves in shades of red to orange, form a lovely colorful carpet beneath the tree canopy (Saunders 1923). Fragrant bell-shaped flowers appear in large, showy clusters at the ends of the branches during the spring, from March through May, but sometimes as early as January. The flowers (8mm) are yellowish-white to pink and consist of 5 fused petals. The fruits are loose clusters of bumpy, scarlet red berries (8 to 12mm) that contain a mealy pulp and about 20 hard seeds. The genus was named from the Celtic word “arboise,” which means rough fruit (Young & Young 1992). The early Spanish Californians named the tree “madroño” after the strawberry tree (Arbutus unido), which grows in Spain and other nearby Mediterranean countries (Parsons 1966). The edible fruits ripen from the early fall until December or January.

Distribution: Pacific madrone is native to the West Coast of North America and occurs from the Southern Coast Ranges of California to British Columbia in the north from 100 to 1500 m. Occasional populations are found in the Sierra Nevada Range at middle elevations. For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

Habitat: Pacific madrone is found on wooded slopes and canyons in oak, redwood, and mixed evergreen forests as well as in chaparral communities. The trees are commonly associated with other species and rarely occur in pure stands. less ↑

Angophora costata grows into a large tree (although it is often stunted or mallee-like) and is characterised by a distinctive orange or pink hue to trunk when bark has been newly shed. The colour fades with time and is a more subdued greyish hue in winter. White flowers occur in summer. less ↑

• Plant: small deciduous tree that grows 10-50 ft. in height and often has multiple trunks; the bark is light brown, nearly smooth, thin and has lens-shaped spots along the stem.
• Leaves: alternate, twice-pinnately compound, fern-like.
• Flowers, fruits and seeds: flowers are pink, fragrant and look like pom-poms; flowering occurs in early summer; fruits are flat 6 in. long seedpods that develop in the late summer.
• Spreads: by seed and vegetative growth.
• Look-alikes: honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) with leaves that are once-pinnately compound.
less ↑

General: Maple Family (Aceraceae): Boxelder is a native tree growing to 20 m tall, with broad rounded crown, usually developing a shallow, fibrous root system; bark light gray-brown with shallow fissures, becoming deeply furrowed; twigs slender, shiny green, usually glabrous but sometimes hairy. The leaves are opposite, 13-20 cm long, pinnately compound with 3(-5 or more) leaflets 5-10 cm long and 3-6 cm wide, long-pointed, coarsely toothed and often shallowly lobed. The flowers are yellow-green, about 5 mm long, the male (staminate) flowers fascicled, the female (pistillate) flowers in drooping racemes; most trees are either male or female (the species is essentially dioecious), but bisexual flowers occur on a few trees (technically polygamo-dioecious). Fruits are winged nutlets (samaras) in a pair, 2.5-4 cm long, clustered on long stalks. The common name refers to the resemblance of leaves to those of ash (Fraxinus). Boxelder, its other often used common name, refers to a resemblance to elder (Sambucus) and the use of the soft wood for box making.

Boxelder is unusual among American maples in having compound leaves. Apart from the opposite leaves, seedlings and young saplings of Boxelder bear a remarkable resemblance to poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and are often mistaken for it by beginning naturalists.

Variation within the species:

Substantial variation occurs over the range of the species; numerous forms and varieties have been described, but only six varieties currently recognized (in some treatments, for example, see McGregor 1986). These are primarily distinguished by coloration of the branches, twig and fruit pubescence, and leaflet number.

Var. arizonicum Sarg. – Arizona and New Mexico

Var. californicum (Torr. & Gray) Sarg. – California

Var. interius (Britt.) Sarg. – midwest US into the western states

Var. negundo ­– the eastern half of the US, with naturalized western outlyers

Var. texanum Pax – south-central US

Var. violaceum (Kirchn.) Jaeger – north-central US and most of Canada less ↑

Perennial, Trees, Shrubs, Woody throughout, Nodules present, Stems or branches arching, spreading or decumbent, Stems 1-2 m tall, Stems greater than 2 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs glaucous, Stems or young twigs glabrous or sparsely glabrate, Stems or young twigs sparsely to den sely hairy, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Extrafloral nectary glands on petiole, Stipules inconspicuous, absent, or caducous, Stipules deciduous, Stipules free, Leaves compound, Leaves bipinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 10-many, Leaves glabrous or nearly so, Leaves coriaceous, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescence panicles, Inflorescences globose heads, capitate or subcapitate, Inflorescence axillary, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers actinomorphic or somewhat irregular, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx glabrous, Petals united, valvate, Petals white, Stamens numerous, more than 10, Stamens completely free, separate, Stamens long exserted, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Fruit a legume, Fruit unilocular, Fruit tardily or weakly dehiscent, Fruit elongate, straight, Fruit oblong or ellipsoidal, Fruit coriaceous or becoming woody, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit glabrous or glabrate, Fruit 3-10 seeded, Seed with elliptical line or de pression, pleurogram, Seeds ovoid to rounded in outline, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black, Seeds with appendage - aril, caruncle, funiculus, or strophiole. less ↑