GREEN ASH
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
OLIVE FAMILY (Oleaceae)
Description
This native, medium-to-large tree grows up to 80 feet tall and has gray, deeply furrowed, diamond-patterned bark (B). The winter twigs have pointed terminal buds and semicircular leaf scars with a flat top (C). Male and female flowers are found on separate trees (D-female, E-male). The leaves are opposite, up to 12 inches long. They consist of 7 or 9 lance-shaped leaflets without (or with very short) stalks (A). The leaves turn a bright yellow in the fall (H). The fruit, a samara, appears in dense clusters, first green, then light brown (F,G). Similar to White Ash (Fraxinus americana), which has longer leaflet stalks, rounded terminal buds, crescent-shaped leaf scars and more compact samaras. The leaves of many of the White Ash trees turn purple in the fall.
Occurrence
Grows mostly on floodplains, flowering in April and May. In Fontenelle Forest, common along Camp Gifford Road. At Neale Woods, common along Nebraska Trail.
Comments
This tree species was often planted as a windbreak on prairies. Its wood was also used for tool handles and other implements, just as White Ash (Fraxinus americana) was.
Disclaimer: The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Nature Association who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page
is: Roland Barth.
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