Box-elder's 3-parted (sometimes 5-parted) leaves could be confused with poison-ivy by their shape. Look at the twigs of this tree to be sure it's box-elder: the twigs are arranged in pairs along its branches. (Poison-ivy leaves are staggered along its climbing stems.) Box-elder has winged seeds like a maple tree. (Poison-ivy has berries.)

Box-elder is commonplace in the eastern half of the United States, and in select places west to California. It is tolerant of both flooding and drought, and commonly appears on floodplains and slopes associated with streams.