Scientific Name:
Fraxinus nigra
Pronunciation:
FRAK-si-nus NYE-gruh
Common Name:
swamp ash, Fallgold black ash
Family Name:
Oleaceae
Plant Type:
Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves opposite, pinnately compound, 20-45cm long; leaflets 7-11 per leaf, lanceolate to elliptical, 7-12cm long x 2-5cm wide, sessile except for terminal leaflet, apex acuminate, margin finely serrate, golden yellow fall colour; samaras 2.5-4.5cm long x 6-8mm wide with the seed about half this length. Winter ID: buds opposite, ovoid, 5mm, rounded/ flattened on stem side, nearly black; leaf scar half-round to nearly oval with an upper notch for leaf bud; vascular bundle scars are very numerous forming a U-shaped line.
Habit:
Dense, Spreading, Upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
10 - 15m
Mature Spread:
7 - 10m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Canada - eastern, Garden origin, U.S. - northeast
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 2: (-46 to -40 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Bog
Water Use:
Wetlands
Landscape Uses:
Fall interest, Screening, Shade tree, Specimen plant, Street (boulevard tree), Tall background, Wetland - bogs, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown or on campus include F. 'Fallgold' (dense, narrow-upright, male).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Compound Leaf:
Odd-pinnate
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Elliptic, Lanceolate
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Oblique (uneven)
Margins:
Serrulate
Additional Info:
Spectacular fall colour, May have some hairs on undersides
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
0
Colour (petals):
Not showy, Purple
Flower Time at Peak:
May
Additional Info:
Male flowers only
Fruit Type:
Aborted (hybrids) or absent
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant, F. 'Fallgold' does not produce fruit
Bark Morphology:
Plated, Lightly fissured, Corky
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Black
Leaf Bud Type:
Conical (long-pointed), Ovoid
Leaf Scar Shape:
Half-round
Organ Modifications:
Fibrous-like roots
Propagation:
Cuttings
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Psyllids (Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
Specific Pests:
