White ash - Definition and Overview

The White Ash (Fraxinus americana) is one of the largest of the ash genus Fraxinus, growing to 35 m tall. It is native to eastern North American hardwood forests, it is a tree of mesophytic forests from Quebec to northern Florida. The wood is white, strong, and straight-grained. The name White Ash apparently derives from the glaucous undersides of the leaves. The leaves are 20-30 cm long, pinnately compound with 7 (occasionally 5 or 9) leaflets, 6-13 cm long.

This tree, like all ashes, is dioecious, with male and female flowers being borne on seperate trees. Flowering occurs in early spring after 30-55 growing degree days. The fruit when fully formed is a samara 3-5 cm long, the seed 1.5-2 cm long with a pale brown wing 1.5-3 cm long, and can be blown a good distance from the parent tree.

It is the timber of choice for production of baseball bats and tool handles

The White Ash is similar to the Green Ash.

See also

• Trees of Canada

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