BOXELDER. 53 



early in summer and sprouts immediately on falling to the ground. 

 The short winter-buds are blunt and covered with thick dark red 

 scales. The red maple has numerous strong lateral roots. 



The wood is very heavy, close-grained, easily worked, and not 

 very strong. It is light brown in color; the thick sapwood, some- 

 what lighter. But little has been cut in North Carolina. It is 

 employed mainly for interior iinish, furniture, gunstocks and 

 similar uses. Maple sugar is occasionally made from this species, 

 the sap being mixed with that of the sugar maple; and there does 

 not appear to be any marked difference between the sap from the 

 two species, except that that from the red maple contains a 

 smaller per cent, of sugar. 



Acer negundo, Linnfeus.* 

 (boxelder. ashleaf maple.) 



A tree, with a short trunk, and light gray or brown, deeply 

 furrowed bark, reaching a height of 70 and a diameter of -i feet. 



It ranges from Vermont to Florida; extending northwest and 

 west to Lake Winnipeg, and the eastern slopes of the Rocky moun- 

 tains ; and southward to Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. It 

 grows on the banks of streams and lakes and the borders of swamps, 

 reaching its best development in the valleys of the tributaries of 

 the lower Ohio river. In good soil it grows rapidly. 



In North Carolina it is rare in the coastal plain region, but 

 common in the Piedmont plateau and west to the mountains, 

 attaining an average height of 15 to 25 feet. 



The leaves are composed of from 3 to 5 or rarely, sparingly 

 toothed leaflets. The yellowish-green flowers occur in drooping 

 clusters, usually appearing before the leaves ; the sterile and fer- 

 tile flowers on separate trees. The winged fruit is 1 j to nearly 2 

 inches long, with the thin netted-veined wings diverging at a very 

 sharp angle. The winter-buds are covered with pale down ; the 

 lateral buds blunt, the terminal bud acute. The light, soft, weak, 

 close-grained wood is creamy-white, with a thick and hardly 

 distinguishable sapwood. It is sometimes used for interior finish, 



* Negundo acei'oides, Moencli. 



