Fraxinus excelsior

Common Ash, European Ash

Oleaceae

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Habitat

  • native to Europe
  • hardy to zone 5

Habit and Form

  • a large deciduous tree
  • 60' to 80' tall
  • generally wider than tall
  • dense rounded crown
  • medium texture
  • fast growth rate

Summer Foliage

  • opposite leaf arrangement
  • odd, pinnately compound leaves
  • leaves are up to 1' long
  • leaves contain 7 to 11 leaflets
  • leaflets are ovate shaped
  • leaflets are 2" to 4" long
  • serrated leaf margins
  • pubescent
  • medium green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

  • no fall color, leaves drop green
  • some cultivars have yellow fall color

Flowers

  • greenish flowers
  • bloom in spring
  • not showy

Fruit

  • female plants produce samaras
  • samara is green and elongated
  • 1" to 2" long
  • clustered in bunches
  • turn brown in winter
  • persist
  • not ornamentally important

Bark

  • branches low on trunk
  • grayish brown bark
  • young stems are gray and stout

Culture

  • full sun
  • soil tolerant
  • salt tolerant
  • needs regular pruning
  • prefers moist, deep, fertile soils for best growth
  • soil pH is not critical
  • easily transplanted and established

Landscape Use

  • male plants are preferred for landscape purposes
  • lawn tree
  • shade tree
  • difficult growing sites
  • excellent for parks and campuses

Liabilities

  • female trees produce lots of seed, leading to numerous unwanted seedlings
  • fruit can also be a litter problem
  • ash dieback (mycoplasma)
  • ash borers
  • ash flower galls (male plants) caused by a mite
  • ash yellows

ID Features

  • opposite leaves
  • pinnately compound leaves
  • female plants with paddle-shaped samaras
  • black, pubescent, sessile buds
  • twigs gray and buds brown
  • twigs stout

Propagation

  • by bud grafting
  • by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

Though many cultivars are recorded in the literature, they are very rarely available in this country. Our native ashes predominate in commerce.

'Hessei' - The most commonly available European ash, this plant grows quickly to 60' tall with an oval-rounded habit. The leaves are simple and bear prominent marginal serrations. Testing indicates, however, a strong tendency for borer damage in this country.

© Copyright Mark H. Brand, 1997-2015.

The digital materials (images and text) available from the UConn Plant Database are protected by copyright. Public use via the Internet for non-profit and educational purposes is permitted. Use of the materials for profit is prohibited.

Citation and Acknowledgements: University of Connecticut Plant Database, http://hort.uconn.edu/plants, Mark H. Brand, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, Storrs, CT 06269-4067 USA.