Fraxinus spp.
Oleaceae
American Ash

Ash (Fraxinus spp.) is composed of 40 to 70 species, native to Central and North America [21] and Eurasia [50]. All species look alike microscopically. The name fraxinus is the classical Latin name for ash.

The American species are as follows:

Fraxinus americana* - American white ash, biltmore ash, biltmore white ash, Canadian ash, cane ash, green ash, ground ash, mountain ash, Quebec ash, red ash, smallseed white ash, white ash, white river ash, white southern ash

Fraxinus anomala - dwarf ash, singleleaf ash

Fraxinus berlandierana - Berlandier ash, Mexican ash

Fraxinus caroliniana - Carolina ash, Florida ash, pop ash, swamp ash, water ash

Fraxinus cuspidata - flowering ash, fragrant ash

Fraxinus dipetala - California flowering ash, California shrub ash, foothill ash, flowering ash, fringe-flowering ash, mountain ash, two-petal ash

Fraxinus gooddingii - Goodding ash

Fraxinus greggii - dogleg ash, Gregg ash, littleleaf ash

Fraxinus latifolia* - basket ash, Oregon ash, water ash, white ash

Fraxinus nigra* - American black ash, basket ash, black ash, brown ash,
Canadian ash, hoop ash, splinter ash, swamp ash, water ash

Fraxinus papillosa - Chihuahua ash

Fraxinus pennsylvanica* - bastard ash, black ash, blue ash, brown ash, Canadian ash, darlington ash, gray ash, green ash, piss ash, pumpkin ash, red ash, rim ash, river ash, soft ash, swamp ash, water ash, white ash

Fraxinus profunda* - pumpkin ash, red ash

Fraxinus quadrangulata* - blue ash, Virginia ash

Fraxinus texensis - Texas ash

Fraxinus velutina - Arizona ash, desert ash, leatherleaf ash, modesto ash, smooth ash, toumey ash, velvet ash

* commercial species

Distribution:
The north temperate regions of the globe.

The Tree:
Ashes are trees or shrubs with large, opposite, pinnately compound leaves. The compound leaves have 2 to 11 leaflets. The flowers can be bisexual or there can be distinct male and female flowers on separate trees. The flowers have no petals and the fruits are dry with a flattened wing. The tree can reach heights of 80 ft (24 m) with straight boles.

General Wood Characteristics:
The sapwood of ash is light brown, while the heartwood is brown to grayish brown. White ash and Oregon ash have lighter heartwood than do the other commercial species. The width of the sapwood is 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm). It is ring porous, with the latewood being composed of parenchyma which surrounds and unites the latewood pores in tangential bands. The wood has no characteristic odor or taste.