Green Ash

All Featured Species

Green Ash

(Fraxinus pennsylvanica)

The Olive Family (Oleaceae)

Medium sized tree with opposite, deciduous leaves and brownish-black, diamond-shaped bark.

Habitat:

Open woodlands, streams, river banks.

Interesting Facts:

Because of its strong but elastic durability, its lumber is multi-purpose. A red dye can be extracted from its bark, and its inner bark can be made into a powder for cooking purposes. Host to the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Orange Sulphur and the Mourning Cloak butterflies.

Fruit:

Greenish-white, single-winged, dry, flattened samara with a slender, thin seed cavity.

Flower:

Its light green to purplish flowers are petalless, with the female flowers hanging in loose panicles and male in tight clusters appearing after the leaves unfold.

Wildlife value:

Tree provides cover and seed for birds; its leaves, twigs, and seeds are a food source for mammals; and it hosts multiple butterflies and insects.

Fruit