Growth form: White ash (Fraxinus americana) tends to grow slightly larger than other ash species, reaching a height of 50 to 80 feet, with a canopy or crown spread of 40 to 50 feet at maturity. Green ash (F. pennsylvanica) is often smaller, growing to a height of 50 to 60 feet, with a crown spread of about 25 feet. Black ash (F. nigra) is a small to medium sized tree, reaching heights of 40 to 50 feet, usually with a slender crown.
Bark: White and green ash have similar bark patterns and coloration. Both are ash-gray to brown in color, with interlacing corky ridges that form diamond-like patterns in the bark. Bark on older trees often becomes scaly. Black ash also tends to have gray to brown bark, often thick and corky even on young trees. Leaves: All ash trees have opposite, pinnately compound leaves. White ash (left leaf in the photo below) typically has 7 entire or finely toothed leaflets that are ovate or lanceolate in shape (oval or more slender), 8 to 12 inches long. Leaflets have little to no fuzziness and are green above and slightly paler on the underside. Green ash (right leaf in the photo below) also typically has 7 entire or finely toothed leaflets, each typically more slender than those of white ash. long, essentially hairless, green above and slightly paler below. Black ash leaflets tend to be more slender (lanceolate to elliptical in shape) and smaller in size, typically 6 to 9 inches long.
Flowers: Most members of the olive family have flowers with four sepals, four petals, two stamens, and two fused carpels (sections of the ovary) that form a superior ovary. The four petals are usually joined at the base to form a tube. On ash trees, flowers are usually dioecious (separate male and female trees) and lack petals. Female flowers occur in loose clusters (panicles), whereas male flowers form tighter clusters.
Fruits: The fruits of ash trees are samaras. These are dry, wind-dispersed seeds that have a single seed plus a wing to help then fly.
Samaras from a White Ash tree (photo by Steven J. Baskauf http://bioimages.vanderbilt.edu/baskauf/25640.htm)
Native range and habitat:
Distribution of White ash across Virginia counties (VA Botanical Associates, 2019)
Olive Family (Oleaceae): The olive family is named for the economically important olive tree (Olea europaea). Many plants in this family are of economic importance. For example, olive trees are the source of olives and olive oil. Ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) are important as hardwood timber. Many other genera are important for horticultural uses, such as jasmine and forsythia.
Ecologic Importance and Uses:
Ash trees are included in the French pharmacopeia because of the medicinal properties of their leaves. These can function as a laxative and diuretic, and can be used to reduce cellulite when ingested, by enhancing evacuation of waste through urine. Ash leaves also serve as an anti-inflammatory and antirhumatismal agent to soothe arthritis, rheumatism, and to alleviate bouts of gout. White ash bark also has been used to treat menstrual cramps.
The bark and leaves of ash trees also is edible, with taste ranging from refreshing to very sweet. Ash tree gum is extracted from some species and used to sweeten food. Chewing gum prepared from the ash tree produces mannitol, a purgative polyalcohol important in the medical field. Depending on the species, ash tree chewing gum can taste very sweet because of this mannose compound. Children in particular love it and will lick their lips when offered as a sweet or a candy.
Campus Specimens
State and national champions? The National tree champs of White Ash is located in Morris, New Jersey with aTree circumference 255 in, height 115 ft, & a crown spread 111 ft and a score of 398. The Virginia champion of white ash is located in Wythe, Virginia with a circumference of 242 in, a height of 96 ft and a crown spread of 93 ft with a total score of 361
At Radford University, The ash tree can be found on campus (highlighted circle below). behind the B-wing of Muse hall in front of the railing that blocks Muse from Tyler Avenue
Tree #890
Trunk circumference: 75 in
Tree height: 90 feet
Crown spread: 47 feet 8 in x 46 feet 6 in Average = 47.125 ft
Total points:
Notes:
References
USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). 2019. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA. http://plants.usda.gov.
Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation. (2019). White ash Fact Sheet, Virginia Tech Dendrology. dendro.cnre.vt.edu/DENDROLOGY/factsheets.cfm