Acer negundo (Box elder)

Japanese name: ネグンドカエデ
Scientific name: Acer negundo

[Overview]
A dioecious deciduous tree about 20 m tall.
The trunk is erect.
The leaves are opposite and odd-pinnately compound, with 5–7 leaflets.
The terminal leaflet is elliptic to narrowly ovate, 4–10 cm long and 2.5–5 cm wide, with a smooth margin or several pairs of large teeth on the upper half.
The petiole is 4–10 cm long.
The leaves are densely covered with appressed hairs on the veins of the upper surface and on the underside.
The leaves turn yellow in autumn.
Male flowers are borne in corymb-like inflorescences.
Female flowers, 10–50 in number, are borne in drooping racemose or compound racemose inflorescences.
The base of the female inflorescence sometimes has a pair of leaves.
The flowers are yellowish green to purple, with 4 petals and 3–5 sepals.
The flowers have thread-like stalks 3 cm long and hang down.
The fruits, 4–4.5 cm long, are borne in pairs, each with a propeller-like wing, and the wings spread at right to acute angles.
The fruits hang in clusters and remain on the branches for a long time.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
It prefers a well-drained place in partial shade to full sun.
Strong summer sunlight can scorch the leaves, so partial shade is better, especially while the tree is young.
In shade, the yellow autumn color develops poorly.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for established plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Apply organic fertilizer around the plant as fertilizer in winter.
Long-horned beetles and aphids cause damage, so kill them as soon as they are found.

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