Ash Tree (Fraxinus)
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Information
The ash tree is a lightly colored, smooth-grained hardwood and is hard, dense, tough and very strong but elastic. It is noted for being lightweight and shock-resident, allowing it to be extensively used for making bows, tool handles, etc. and other uses demanding high strength and resilience. It is quite easy to use with nails, screws and glue. Their flowers grow in small, purple clusters and bloom in early spring.
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Black Ash
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Deciduous (sheds leaves in autumn) tree. Black Ash are a medium-sized tree that reaches 49-65 ft (15-20 m) tall, and have a trunk that averages around 24 in (60 cm) in diameter. The bark is grey, thick and corky even on young trees, becoming scaly and fissured with age. The winter buds are dark brown to blackish, with a velvety texture. The leaves are have a feather-like, pennation arrangement, have a finely toothed margin, and can grow up to 8-18 in (20-45 cm) long. Black Ash is one of the first trees to lose its leaves in autumn, where the leaves become a sickly yellow.
Typically found moist to wet muck or shallow organic soils, especially in swamps, floodplains, terraces, ravines, and on small, poorly drained upland pockets. It also may grow on sands and loams with high water tables.
Black ash is unique in that it does not have fibers connecting the growth rings to each other, making them sought after by basket makers. By literally pounding on the wood with a mallet, the the tree's spring wood is crushed, allowing the summer wood to be peeled off in long strips. The absence of the connecting fibers is what allows the summer wood strips to separate. It is these long strips that are trimmed and cleaned and then used in basket weaving.
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Green Ash
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Deciduous (sheds leaves in autumn) tree. Green Ash are a medium to large-sized tree that reaches 39-82 ft (12-25 m) tall, and has a trunk that averages around 24 in (60 cm) in diameter. The bark is grey and thick on young trees, becoming thick and fissured with age. The winter buds are dark brown to blackish, with a velvety texture. The leaves are broad, have a pennation arrangement with 7-9 leaflets, and can grow up to 6-12 in (15-30 cm) long. Green Ash leaves begin changing colors in the first week of September, and turn yellow in color.
Typically found in floodplain woodlands, mesic woodlands, riverbanks, swamps, riparian zones, and abandoned fields.
It is very similar to the White Ash and the trees often overlap in their location. It can be differentiated by its preferred habitat (pioneer species that likes riparian zones), as well as its smoother twigs. The wood is also similar to White Ash wood, though it is slightly lighter.
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White Ash
| Appearance |
| Information |
Deciduous (sheds leaves in autumn) tree. White Ash are a medium to large-sized tree that reaches 50-80 ft (15-24 m) tall, and has a trunk that averages around 24 in (60 cm) in diameter. The bark is grey and thick on young trees, becoming thick and fissured with age. The winter buds are dark brown to blackish, with a velvety texture. The leaves are broad, have a pennation arrangement with 7 leaflets, and can grow up to 6-12 in (15-30 cm) long. White Ash leaves begin changing colors in the first week of September, usually becoming yellow or red in color.
Typically found in moist, rich, well-drained soils in association with other hardwoods (it is a forest tree). It is also found in bottomlands near streams and often on low slopes.
It is very similar to the Green Ash and the trees often overlap in their location. It can be differentiated by its preferred habitat (forest tree that likes to grow alongside other trees, such as sugar maple).
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Additional Resources
- Nature & Garden (Medicinal uses)
