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White Ash (Fraxinus americana)

Leaf Leaf

Fruit Tree

Common Name: White Ash
Scientific Name: Fraxinus americana
Other Names:

Leaf: Compound, opposite; Composed of 5-9 oval stalked leaflets, tapering at each end and 6-14 cm long; Turn yellow or deep burgundy in autumn.
Flower: Male: purple, emerges before leaves come out; Female: yellowish green, emergies as leaves unfold; male and female on separate trees.
Fruit: Paddle-shaped winged samara; 3-5cm long; green in summer, turn brown at maturity; Begin bearing seed at age 20.
Twig: Stout, purplish, glossy or with gray film; smooth with lenticels.
Bark: On younger trees, light gray, smooth; On older trees, furrowed into thin ridges forming diamond pattern.
Wood: Heavy, hard, strong, stiff, straight-grained; impact resistant; odorless.

Facts About This Tree:
1. White ash grows up to 30m high and lives 200 years.
2. White ash is readily used to make high-quality baseball bats, hockey sticks, and tennis and badminton rackets.
3. The strength and flexibility of ash wood made it ideal for bows, arrow shafts, snow shoes, sleds, canoe ribs, and paddles.

Lat, Long: 43.75325, -79.65085

Find more trees in Claireville Conservation Area

Reference
1. Blouin, Glen. 2001. An Eclectic Guide to Trees East of the Rockies. Erin, ON. Boston Mills Press
2. Petrides George A. 1998. A Field Guide to Eastern Trees: Eastern United States and Canada, Second Edition. NY. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
3. Ministry of Natural Resources. 2013. The Tree Atlas. Retrieved from http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/ClimateChange/2ColumnSubPage/STDPROD_101493.html
4. Photo Credit: Kathryn Chin; Sean Fox; Keith Kanoti; Richard Webb

Address:

In this area of the Conservation Area, the common ash tree once stood tall and in abundance. Over the past decade, many ash trees have been removed due to Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infection, a non-native invasive insect that attacks and kills all North American species of ash trees (Fraxinus species). Visit http://goo.gl/GjEBRy for more information.

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