Plant Family: Sapindaceae
Growth Form: Small to medium-sized, often multi-trunked, shrubby tree, from 5 to 15 meters tall.
Leaves: Opposite, compound, with 3 to 7 leaflets of variable shape – some are ovate, others have shallow lobes; the margins may have a few coarse teeth.
Bark: Gray, smooth on young trees, rough and fissured on older specimens.
Flowers: Dioecious, small, in hanging clusters, April – May.
Fruits: Double samaras in prolific hanging clusters, mature in summer and often stay on the tree into winter.
Habitat: Prefers the damp soils of river valleys, lakeshores, and swamp edges, but tolerates drier soils and is hardy once established.
Range: Found throughout New England and most of the United States, it has spread beyond its natural floodplain habitat due to its ability to colonize human disturbed sites such as urban landscapes and roadsides.
Key Features: The unique leaves and the presence of maple seeds (samaras) on the female trees make this species easy to identify.
Comments: Ash-leaved Maple has been introduced to Europe, China, and Australia as a somewhat dubious ornamental, but has spread from cultivation and is now widely considered an invasive species in those regions.
