White Ash

White Ash

(Fraxinus americana)

The Olive Family (Oleaceae)

Large tree with straight trunk and rounded crown; ashy gray to brown bark with interlacing corky ridges in diamond pattern; opposite, compound, deciduous leaves with five to nine, mostly seven, leaflets.

Habitat:

Moist slopes and valleys of most of the eastern United States.

Interesting Facts:

Strong, straight-grained, lightweight wood used to make tool handles, oars, canoe paddles and baseball bats. Juice pressed from leaves used to treat mosquito bite swelling and itching.

Fruit:

One-winged, dry, flattened yellow to brown samara with a full, rounded, seed cavity, maturing in fall and dispersing over winter.

Flower:

Light green to purplish blooms lacking petals appear after the leaves unfold. Male and female on separate trees (dioecious), with female occurring in loose panicles and males in tighter clusters.

Wildlife value:

Seeds eaten by several species of birds; bark by rabbits and beaver. Habitat for birds that nest and feed in cavities. Attracts wood duck, bobwhite, purple finch, pine grosbeak, fox squirrel, rabbit, beaver and mice.

Bark