Fraxinus americana
White Ash
Mature Size, Growth, Longevity
Average mature size of 50-80' tall and wide. Medium growth rate.
Native Range
Nova Scotia to Minnesota, south to Florida and Texas.
Flower and Fruit Details
Flowers are dioecious, light green to purplish, usually unisexual, apetalous, both sexes appearing in panicles before the leaves, calyx minute, campanulate, corolla absent. Fruits are samaras, 1-2" long body, rounded in cross section, looking similar to a canoe paddle.
Leaf and Bark Features
Yellow to dark maroon fall color. Bark is ash gray to gray-brown, furrowed into close diamond-shaped areas seperated by narrow interlacing ridges. On very old trees it becomes slightly scaly along the ridges.
Culture and Care
Easily transplanted. Best growth when in deep, moist, well-drained soils, pH adaptable, full sun. Susceptible to leaf rust, leaf spots, cankers, dieback, ash borer, lilac leaf miner, lilac borer, carpenter worm, brown-headed ash sawfly, fall webworm, ash flower gall, oyster shell scale, and scurfy scale.
Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts
A great ornamental, despite a long list of pests.
Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA
The following taxa are (or were) represented in the collections at Boone County Arboretum. Additional taxa may be available in the trade that are not included here.