Fraxinus pennsylvanica var. subintergerima
Green ash
Physical Information
Size and Form
Green ash is a native , deciduous tree with a large trunk and
high branches. This dioecious tree grows 12-16 meters high with a diameter of30-60cm.
The trunk can sometimes be poorly formed and supports a broad irregular crown The tree can
sometimes be crooked with stout upright branches. Green ash has an extensive, moderately
shallow root system, which contributes to a high degree of windfirmness. The roots often
appear as a superficial fibrous root system.
Bark.
The bark is thick with many irregular, vertical, shallow furrows
and interlacing ridges, and may appear scaly. It is colored brown or dark-gray to brown
and the wood is heavy, hard, strong and yellowish with wide, white sapwood.
Leaves.
These are oppositely arranged and pinnately-compound. They are
25-30 cm long with leaflets 7-13 cm long and 2.5-4.5 cm wide. They can be
oblong-lanceolate to oval shaped and slightly or completely serrate with petioles which
are stout, glabrous or pubescent. The leaves are yellowish-green on both sides.Twigs.
Usually stout or densely pubescent, with the pubescence lasting 1-3 years.
Twigs
 Twigs are usually stout or densely pubescent, with the pubescence
lasting 1-3 years.They are reddish-brown to ashy gray and turn reddish in early spring.
Leaf scars are sometimes straight across at the top with the bundle scars forming a
U-shaped or V-shaped line. Epidermis of older twigs does not peel or flake and leaf scars
are sometimes straight across.
Winter buds
The terminal bud is round and small with rounded bud scales.There
are usually three pairs which are rusty brown in color.The upper pair of lateral buds are
at the same level as the terminal bud.
Flowers
Appear around May before or with the leaves. They are borne in
compact panicles on the shoots of the previous season. The calyx is cup-shaped and four
toothed with no corolla. The male flowers have two stamens while the female flowers have
two-celled ovary. The trees are dioecious and are wind pollinated. The unisexual flowers
are borne over the entire outer part of the live crown. The staminate flowers are dense
panicles which are green with reddish anthers; pistillate flowers are greenish-yellow in
short panicles.
Fruit
Appear in September and persist until winter. They are 2.5-5 cm long and grow in open,
paniculate clusters. They are winged, single-seeded samara and large seed crops are
produced every year.The seed cavity is narrow and cylindrical.
Wood
This is heavy, hard and strong wood which is coarse grained. It is light brown with
thick yellow-streaked sapwood having porous rings. It has a high specific gravity and a
low moisture content which make it a valued species for solid wood products.
Green ash is exceedingly hardy to climatic extremes and will
persists even on dry sterile soil. In a naturally moist environment such as along a
stream-bank it becomes rapidly established. It occurs in a wide variety of soils and
thrives best on deep, permeable, well-drained loams. Green ash can grow on medium to
coarse-textured upland sands and loams with good moisture relations. It tolerates
moderately strong acid (pH 4.0) to moderately basic soils. Green ash can persist on very
dry soil and is therefore often used as shelter-beds. Under forest competition, green ash
is intolerant to moderately tolerant of shade. Green ash is a fast growing species and is
moderately long-lived.
Distribution
Green ash is the most widely distributed of the American ashes.
It is common, especially throughout the Mid-west and its range extends from Cape Breton
Island and Nova Scotia to southeastern Alberta and Montana, and southward to central Texas
and northern Florida. Fraxinus pennslyvanica var. subintegerrima (lanceolata) is found
mainly in the northern Great Plains region.The tree can be found along roadside ditches,
highway median strips and old fields. It is common to occasional throughout the state of
Michigan and can be found in characteristic sites that are poorly drained or flooded
during the spring. Even though Green ash is a flood tolerant tree it is not found in
areas of continuing high water tables such as in swamps. Green ash grows in a sub-humid to
humid climate with an average annual precipitation of 38-155cm and an average length frost
free season from 120-280 days.
Economic uses
Given its high specific gravity and low moisture content Green
ash is used for solid wood products as well as for pulp and paper requiring hardwood
fibers. Crating, boxing, handle stock and rough lumber can be obtained from green ash.
Other uses
Green ash rates as having moderate potential for erosion control
and for long term revegetation. Green ash woodlands are considered to be important
habitats for a number of wildlife species. They provide year-round habitat for deer and
contribute both browse and shelter. Other mammal species also found in green ash woodlands
include: coyotes, rabbits, raccoons and several other species of small mammals.
Although green ash is of low palatability it is often browsed by
deer and certain other species. Its nutritional value is low and its protein content is
poor even though it has a fair energy value.
This tree has been used extensively in wind break plantings due
to its survival and adaptability. Its moderate drought resistance makes it an ideal
windbreaking plant in the central Great plains. Green ash is cultivated as an ornamental
tree and is often planted for its shade and landscape beautification in parks and
recreational sites.
Medicinal uses
No medicinal uses were
found.
Diseases
Ash Tree Decline in
Michigan - Michigan State University Extension Service
References
Bellah, R. Glenn; Hulbert, Lloyd C. 1974. Forest Succession on
The Republican River Floodplain in Clay County, Kansas. Southwestern Naturalist.
19(2): 155-166. (241).
Cram, W. H.; Lindquist, C. H. 1982. Germination of Green Ash is Related to Seed Moisture
Content. Forest Science. 28(4) : 809-812.
Dittberner, Philip L.; Olson, Michael R. 1983. The Plant Information Network (PIN) Data
base: Colorado: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Services. 786p. (806).
Fitzgerald, Charles et al. 1975. Characteristics and Growth of Natural Green Ash Stands.
Journal of Forestry. 73: 486-488. (5122).
Websites
www.http/plants.usda.gov/plants/
www.csdl.tamu.edu/flora/gallery.htm
This page written by E.Stephan Persad for
Bio 141, Botany, Fall 98.
  
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