Scientific Name:
Fraxinus americana
Pronunciation:
FRAK-si-nus uh-mair-ih-KAY-nuh
Common Name:
American ash, white ash
Family Name:
Oleaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves underside whitish compared to F. pennsylvanica, leaflets 7-9 per leaf, margins entire, wavy, scalloped, or with small teeth. Winter ID: buds rusty to dark chocolate brown with suede-like scalloped scales; leaf scar U-shaped with the lateral bud sitting deep in the notch; vascular bundle scars are very numerous in a U-shaped line.
Habit:
Dense, Upright
Form:
Oval - vertical, Round
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
10 - 15m
Mature Spread:
7 - 10m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Garden origin, U.S. - northeast
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Attract birds, Fall interest, Shade tree, Specimen plant, Street (boulevard tree), Tall background
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown or on campus include F. 'Appldell' (Autumn Applause), F. 'Jeffnor' (Northern Blaze), and F. 'Autumn Purple' (mature trees at VanDusen).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Compound Leaf:
Odd-pinnate, Leaflets stalked
Colour in Summer:
Green, Dark-green
Colour in Fall:
Purple, Red, Dark-red
Shapes:
Oblanceolate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Acute, Rounded
Margins:
Crenate, Entire, Serrate, Undulate (wavy)
Additional Info:
Spectacular fall colour, terminal leaflet petiole 2-3X longer than lateral leaflets
Inflorescence Type:
Flower Morphology:
Dioecious plant
Number Of Petals:
0
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Not showy, Green-yellow, Dark-red
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May
Fruit Type:
Samara
Fruit Colour:
Green, Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Not showy, Some cultivars are seedless because they're male
Bark Morphology:
Lightly fissured
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey
Leaf Bud Type:
Narrowly conical
Leaf Scar Shape:
U-shaped
Propagation:
Seed
Pest Susceptibility:
Anthracnose, Stem borer insects (Deer resistant)
Specific Pests:
Course(s):
- HORT 2355
- Level 2 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (BCE) Boulevard (Circular) Eastend : cv. Jeffnor (the northern tree)
- (BUG) BUG garden : cv. Appldell (Autumn Applause) - towards WDH area
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLN) Turf Field Lab North : cv. Appldell (Autumn Applause)