Fraxinus excelsior (European Ash)

Fraxinus excelsior (European Ash) is a splendid, large, deciduous tree with a straight trunk and a dense, rounded crown. The foliage of compound pinnate, dark green leaves contains 7-11 leaflets which turn rich shades of yellow in the fall. After dropping to the ground, the attractive silvery-brown bark, ridged and furrowed into diamond-shaped patterns, is revealed, providing winter interest. In mid-late spring, purplish male and female flowers appear on separate trees. The female flowers are followed by drooping clusters of winged samaras that ripen in fall and may persist on the tree throughout winter. European Ash is an important precious wood tree. It makes a splendid shade tree or specimen tree for a large landscape.

• Grows up to 70-80 ft. tall (21-24 cm) and 50-60 ft. wide (15-18 m).
• A full sun lover, this plant is easily grown in organically rich, moist, well-drained loams. Best performance usually occurs in climates with cool summers.
• Perfect as a specimen plant.
• This beautiful tree is subject to the emerald ash borer, which can kill the tree within 3-5 years after infestation. This borer now constitutes a serious threat to all species of ash in North America.
• Keep an eye our for lilac borer, carpenter worm, oyster shell scale, leaf miners, fall webworms, ash sawflies and ash leaf curl aphid. Potential disease problems include fungal leaf spots, powdery mildew, rust, anthracnose, cankers and ash yellows.
• Deer resistant.
• Native to Europe, Caucasus.