White Ash

Scientific Name:
Fraxinus americana 

Average height at maturity:
50 to 80 feet 

Average width of canopy at maturity:
50 to 80 feet 

Leaves and bark:

  • The white ash tree has opposite, compound leaves with 5 to 9 leaflets. These leaves have rounded teeth and a pointed tip. The leaves are dark green in the summer and purplish in autumn.
  • The white ash tree has light gray bark which is both loosely ridged and furrowed.

Other fun and interesting facts:

  • The white ash is native to eastern North America.
  • Its wood is used for Louisville Slugger baseball bats. It is also used for hockey sticks, tennis racquets, oars, and church pews.
  • The juice from white ash leaves can be used to relieve itching and swelling from mosquito bites.
  • It makes up a part of the olive tree family, and like the maple and elm, it drops winged seed pods in autumn which contain seeds.
  • The emerald ash borer attacks white ash trees.
  • Look for a white ash tree near the little playground in Wood Park.

 

Sources:

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/fraxinus-americana/
https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/trees-and-plants/white-ash-not-recommended/#overview
https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=1082
https://www.centralparknyc.org/plants/white-ash
https://www.uky.edu/hort/White-Ash#:~:text=Ash%20belongs%20to%20the%20olive,resilient%20but%20light%20in%20weight
https://www.thespruce.com/trees-with-helicopter-seeds-samara-fruit-5186309

 

Photo Credit to Ben Leynse
Information compiled as part of Robert Slater’s 2023 Eagle Scout Project