Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall

Green Ash; Red Ash

Tree

Perennial

Vascular

Green Ash is a native deciduous tree in the Olive family (Oleaceae). It occurs throughout Alabama. Green Ash occurs in a variety of habitats from floodplain forests to mesic hardwood slopes and prairie margins. It often quickly colonizes disturbed sites and old agricultural fields. Green Ash is a medium to large tree growing from 60-100 feet in height. The trunk is straight, with trees occurring in areas subject to flooding having slightly swollen bases. Young branches are round in cross section, green in color, and slightly pubescent or glabrous. Older shoots are grey in color. Twigs are slightly flattened and swollen at the nodes and have scattered roundish white lenticels. The trunk has grey bark furrowed into shallow fissures and narrow ridges. Leaves are opposite, petiolate, and odd pinnate with 7-11 leaflets. The leaflets are lanceolate to elliptic in outline, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, with shallowly serrate margins. The leaves are dark green above and lighter green below. Green Ash is dioecious, with separate male and female plants. The inconspicuous flowers lack petals and appear before the leaves. They are produced in drooping panicles from the axils of the old leaf scars. The fruit is a flattened samara that is greenish or tan in color. The samara is winged less than half the distance to the base. Green Ash is a rapidly growing tree that is tolerant of poor soils and pollution, making it a popular shade and street tree in urban areas. It produces abundant fruit which can be messy. Seedless varieties are available in the nursery trade.—A. Diamond.

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Native FACW (NWPL)

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