Two things surprise people about box elder. The leaf is not maple-shaped at all: it is compound, with three to five separate leaflets on a stalk, so it gets regularly mistaken for a young ash. And the wood is soft, which means limbs snap in a summer storm, so keep it away from parking, roof lines and exposed windy corners.Male and female flowers sit on separate trees, and female trees carry heavy crops of winged seed that germinate readily. Seedlings turn up in garden beds and, in wetter districts, along watercourses where the species has naturalised. Pull them out while they are small.The payoff is an airy, light-textured canopy that turns clear yellow before leaf fall, and a tolerance of part shade that most maples lack. Slow to moderate growth, moderate water with regular soakings through summer, and genuinely useful in a courtyard where you want seasonal shade rather than a permanent roof over the space.Choosing a sizeThis plant is supplied in one size, 100L, at $649.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to growing maples in Australian gardens.
