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Acer negundo Box elder Deciduous tree (1 Page of 5) The Acer negundo plant species is found in N. America - Nova Scotia to Florida, west to California and Manitoba. It is a member of the Aceraceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Box elder. Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses Medicinal | Edible Uses Latin Name: Acer negundo Common Name: Box elder Family: Aceraceae Author: L. Known Hazards: None known Mature Height: 21 Mature Width: 8 Habitat: Found in a variety of soil types, growing best in lowland sites along rivers, streams, ponds or seasonally flooded flats[229].
Edible Uses: The sap contains a reasonable quantity of sugar and can be used as a refreshing drink or be concentrated into a syrup[11, 46, 61, 82, 159]. The syrup is used as a sweetener on many foods. The sugar content is inferior to A. saccharum according to one report[149] whilst another says that it is highly valued as a producer of sweet sap[183]. The sugar from the sap of this tree is said to be whiter than that from other maples[183]. To obtain the sap, bore a hole on the sunny side of the trunk into the sapwood about 1 metre above the ground at anytime from about January 1st until the leaves appear[85]. The flow is best on a warm day after a frost[213]. The best sap production comes from cold-winter areas with continental climates.
Inner bark - raw or cooked. It can be dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickener in soups etc or be added to cereal flours when making bread, cakes etc[257]. The inner bark can also be boiled until the sugar crystallizes out of it[257].
Self-sown seedlings, gathered in early spring, are eaten fresh or dried for later use[213].
Seeds - cooked. The wings are removed and the seeds boiled then eaten hot[213]. The seed is up to 12mm long and is produced in small clusters[82].
For further Acer negundo gardening information click on one of the blue links below Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses Medicinal | Edible Uses
The information above has been supplied solely via the hard work and dedication of the team at 'Plants for a Future'. View their bibliography

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