Plant Image Data Base
Fraxinus americana
White Ash
- Form
- large deciduous shade tree
- usually maturing at about 70' tall by 70' wide,
but can become much larger
- upright oval growth habit in youth, quickly
maturing to a rounded growth habit without a
central leader
- medium growth rate
- Culture
- full sun to partial sun
- prefers moist, well-drained, deep soils and is
somewhat adaptable to soil pHs, but overall it is
not especially urban tolerant (especially to soil
compaction and drought)
- Foliage
- fall color is often a progression from vivid
yellow to orange, maroon, red, and finally
burgandy or purple, usually beginning in late
September and completely abscised by mid-October
(some cultivars may proceed directly from green
to the darker reddish colors)
- Function
- shade or specimen tree, possessing great symmetry
and stateliness
- Assets
- brilliant Autumn colors
- moderately quick growth and establishment for a
shade tree
- bold-textured bark and stems in winter
- symmetrical rounded shape
- moderately ornamental bark with age
- Purpose
- White Ash is a large shade tree of rounded
outline with excellent Autumn color and bold
Winter texture.
- Summary
- Fraxinus americana is a shade tree of
rounded growth habit and moderately rapid growth
rate, having dense Summer shade, an excellent
mixture of Autumn colors that usually terminates
in burgandy-red, and a bold Winter bark and stem
texture.
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