(Ash-Leaved Maple, Boxelder, Flamingo Box Elder)

Box elder is a short-lived deciduous tree native to many regions in North America. Although sometimes scorned as an ornamental plant because of its weak wood and its penchant for self-sowing, it has given rise to many attractive cultivars. The cultivar 'Flamingo' is a variegated selection that bears pink, three-lobed leaves in spring that mature to green with irregular ivory margins. A male tree, it produces inconspicuous greenish yellow flowers in spring, and does not fruit. Typically low-branched,...

(Boxelder, Kelly's Gold Boxelder)

Box elder is a short-lived deciduous tree native to many regions in North America. Although sometimes scorned as an ornamental plant because of its weak wood and its penchant for self-sowing, it has given rise to many attractive cultivars. Introduced in 1989 by Duncan and Davies Nursery in New Zealand, 'Kelly's Gold' has three-parted, lemon-yellow leaves with contrasting red stems. The leaves hold their color through summer. Fall color is usually unremarkable. A female selection, it produces inconspicuous...

(Ash-Leaved Maple, Boxelder)

Box elder is a short-lived deciduous tree native to many regions in North America. Although sometimes scorned as an ornamental plant because of its weak wood and its penchant for self-sowing, it has given rise to many attractive cultivars. Introduced in the mid-nineteenth century, 'Variegatum' has three-parted leaves with broad irregular creamy white margins. Fall color is usually unremarkable. A female selection, it produces inconspicuous greenish yellow flowers in spring which give rise to clusters...

(California Ash-Leaved Maple, California Boxelder)

Somewhat smaller than most others of its kind, California box elder is a short-lived deciduous tree native to much of the state whose name it bears. Typically low-branched with furrowed light gray to gray-brown bark, it has downy, bright green, compound leaves with three or sometimes five leaflets. Inconspicuous greenish yellow flowers emerge with the leaves. Male and female flowers occur on separate trees. Female trees bear two-winged fruits that mature from green to reddish-brown.

Box elders...

(Black Maple)

The Midwest version of the great American sugar maple is a beautiful deciduous tree that falls short of its kin only in its less spectacular fall color. Native from New York to western Iowa, it surpasses sugar maple in its tolerance of heat, drought, and alkaline soil.

An upright deciduous shade tree with an oval to rounded canopy, it bears inconspicuous clusters of chartreuse flowers in spring that develop into helicopter-like fruits called samaras. Its medium to dark green summer foliage gives...

(Black Maple, Columnar Black Maple)

The Midwest version of the great American sugar maple is a beautiful deciduous tree that falls short of its kin only in its less spectacular fall color. Native from New York to western Iowa, it surpasses sugar maple in its tolerance of heat, drought, and alkaline soil.

An upright deciduous shade tree with an oval to rounded canopy, it bears inconspicuous clusters of chartreuse flowers in spring that develop into helicopter-like fruits called samaras. Its medium to dark green summer foliage gives...

(Nikko Maple)

Lovely in all seasons, this deciduous maple from China and Japan offers a compact rounded habit, handsome foliage, brilliant fall color, and attractive bark. Its densely branched crown is set with lush, relatively large three-lobed leaves that emerge in mid-spring, about the same time as the ornamentally insignificant yellow flowers. Two-winged fruits follow the flowers, maturing from green to brown. The foliage turns yellow in fall, often combined with dazzling tones of red and orange. Smooth gray...

(Japanese Maple)

The beautiful and ubiquitous Japanese maple is a garden staple. A native of eastern Asia, this medium-sized deciduous tree has a broad rounded canopy and packs a powerful punch when it comes to ornamental value. Its palmate foliage may be green, purple or burgundy-red, depending on the cultivar, and can turn vivid shades of yellow, bronze orange or red in fall. Like all maples, it bears inconspicuous flowers in the spring. These are followed by red or green helicopter-like fruits called samaras....

(Japanese Maple)

The beautiful Japanese maple is a small tree native to eastern Asia. Its compact cultivar 'Aka-shigitatsu-sawa' features striking variegated leaves, which are creamy white with green edges and pink and burgundy highlights. Its palmate (hand-shaped leaves are elegantly divided into narrow lobes. In winter, the stark gray branches will add to any garden or landscape.

This maple prefers sites with rich, well drained soil and part sun to part shade. Versatile in the landscape, 'Aka-shigitatsu-sawa'...

(Japanese Maple)

A small multi-stemmed deciduous tree native to eastern Asia, the beautiful and ubiquitous Japanese maple is a garden staple. The showy bright green bark of the cultivar 'Aoyagi' makes it a year-round standout in the garden. This small tree bears pale green palmate leaves with five to seven long pointed lobes. Spring and fall leaf color is golden-green. Inconspicuous purplish flowers in spring give rise to green, red-tinged, winged fruits. In winter, the green branches and elegant spreading habit...