Slippery Elm
Ulmus rubra Medium tree Zones 3–9 40–70 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks and dry uplands in the wild.
A native we do not grow
Boxelder
Acer negundo. Medium tree, 30 to 75 feet, zones 2 to 10; full sun, part shade or shade; dry, average or wet ground.
We do not grow boxelder, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Other names | Ash-leaved maple, ashleaf maple, Manitoba maple, boxelder maple, three-leaf maple |
|---|---|
| Form | Medium tree |
| Height, feet | 30 to 75 |
| Spread, feet | Up to 50 |
| Zones | 2 to 10 |
| Sun | Full sun, part shade or shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry, average or wet ground |
| Growth | Fast |
| Leaves | Deciduous |
| Traits | Wildlife value, erosion control |
| Flowers | March to May |
| Fruit | Samaras, August to March |
| First crop | 8 to 11 years |
| Pollination | Separate male and female trees. Male and female flowers grow on separate trees, so a female tree bears seed only with a male nearby. |
| Lifespan | Lives up to 100 years. |
| Transplanting | The Morton Arboretum's page on boxelder marks it as one that transplants well. |
| Black walnut | Tolerant, on the Morton Arboretum's list |
| Toxicity | The seeds are poisonous to horses. |
| Ground | Floodplain forests, stream banks and dry uplands |
| Native in | 44 states and the District of Columbia |
Boxelder is native in 44 states and the District of Columbia: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the District of Columbia. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from Silvics of North America and NatureServe Explorer. The USDA PLANTS Database also records it growing wild beyond that range in Maine, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington, where it is naturalized, not native.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it flowers and fruits, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place How many to plant for a crop of seed Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its trunk How a big one scores against the champion trees
For the same ground, we grow
These trees we grow share the most of boxelder's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Western Soapberry
Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii Medium tree Zones 5–9 20–50 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks and dry uplands in the wild.
Winged Elm
Ulmus alata Medium tree Zones 6–9 40–60 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks and dry uplands in the wild.
Common Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis Large tree Zones 3–9 40–60 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks and dry uplands in the wild.
Cedar Elm
Ulmus crassifolia Large tree Zones 6–9 50–70 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks and dry uplands in the wild.
Shumard Oak
Quercus shumardii Large tree Zones 5–9 50–80 ft
Shares floodplain forests, stream banks and dry uplands in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from Silvics of North America, NC State Extension, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Morton Arboretum, the Wildflower Center, the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, the USDA PLANTS Database, the US Forest Service, the Merck Veterinary Manual and Cornell University.