Habitat

• native to Michigan down through Arkansas
• hardy to zone 4

Habit and Form

• a moderate-sized deciduous tree
• up to 70' tall
• width up to 50'
• narrow, dense, rounded crown
• medium texture
• moderate growth rate

Summer Foliage

• opposite leaf arrangement
• odd, pinnately compound leaves
• 9" to 14" long
• 7 to 11 leaflets
• leaflets are 2" to 5" long
• lanceolate leaflet shape
• sharply serrated leaf margins
• glossy dark green leaf color
• pubescent midrib

Autumn Foliage

• yellow fall color
• showy

Flowers

• dioecious, with male and female plants
• not ornamentally important

Fruit

• female plants produce samaras
• large numbers of fruit can be produced
• samaras are 1" to 2" long and narrow
• some describe them as paddle-shaped
• color changes from green to tan as they mature
• not ornamentally important

Bark

• older bark is platy
• innerbark turns blue when exposed to air
• stout young stems with corky wings

Culture

• full sun
• prefers moist, deep, fertile soils for best growth
• quite soil adaptable
• soil pH is not critical
• easily transplanted and established
• tolerant of poorly-drained soils

Landscape Use

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

Liabilities

• female trees produce lots of seed, leading to numerous unwanted seedlings
• ash dieback (mycoplasma)
• ash borers
• ash flower galls (male plants) caused by a mite
• hard to propagate

ID Features

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

Propagation

• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties