It has smooth gray bark.
Most leaflets have one to three coarse teeth near their base.
The leaves when crushed also produce this distinctive, offensive odor. Seeds are centered in a papery sheath called a samara. The samaras are slightly twisted or curled, and twirl as they fall to the ground. They can be borne on the wind great distances from the parent plant. These include vacant lots of the inner city, railroad embankments, highway medians, fence rows and roadsides.