Crushed foliage and branches are pungent in this small, deciduous tree. Leaves are trifoliate with entire leaf margins. Flowers are small with unisexual and bisexual flowers on the same plant.
Fruit is a round samara.
Ptelea Species Leaflets are trifoliate. Buds are often hidden by the leaf base and are silvery and silky. Leaf scars are horseshoe-shaped. Branches are reddish-brown in the second year. Flowers are greenish-white, unpleasantly scented, and bloom in June.