box elder

American  

noun

1. a North American maple, Acer negundo, having light gray-brown bark, pinnate, coarsely toothed leaves, and dry, winged fruit, cultivated as a shade tree, and yielding a light, soft wood used in making furniture, woodenware, etc.

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box elder British  

noun

1. Also called: ash-leaved maple.  a medium-sized fast-growing widely cultivated North American maple, Acer negundo , which has compound leaves with lobed leaflets

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Etymology

Origin of box elder

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

Example Sentences

Invasive shothole borers have sickened at least 65 varieties of SoCal urban trees — such as box elders, maples, willows, sycamores, oaks and cottonwoods — by infesting them with their primary food source, fusarium fungus.

From Los Angeles Times

The canyon is filled with box elders that had not yet leafed out, and above us sandstone cliffs soared like skyscrapers.

From Los Angeles Times

It looks similar to the box elder bug that’s commonly found in Colorado.

From Washington Times

On his list: Using a chainsaw to make a backyard sculpture of a bodybuilder out of the trunk of a dead box elder tree.

From Washington Times

About to leave, I stood outside chatting with Sidnee while she squashed a couple of box elder bugs.

From Washington Times