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Fraxinus excelsior L.

European ash (en), Frêne élevé (fr), Frêne commun (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Lamiales > Oleaceae > Fraxinus

Characteristics

Tree to c. 30 m high. Shoots with prominent white lenticels, glabrous. Buds black, large. Petioles to c. 8 cm long. Leaflets usually 9-13, sessile, 4.5-10 × 1.75-3.5 cm, lanceolate, glabrous except for midrib and main veins beneath, serrate or serrulate; base cuneate; apex acuminate. Fls numerous in dense clusters. Calyx and corolla 0. Filaments > anthers. Anthers ovoid, often apiculate, dark purple. Samara (2.7)-3-4 cm × 7-9 mm, narrow-elliptic, oblanceolate or elliptic-obovate; wing extending c. 1/2 way along seed. Seed 1.2-1.5 cm long, compressed.
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A large deciduous tree. It can grow 42 m high. The crown is broad. The bark is firm and ridged. The leaves are dark green. The leaves are made up of several leaflets. There are 9-11 narrow leaflets along the stalk. The leaflets are 5-8 cm long. They have teeth around the edge and turn yellow in autumn. The flower buds are velvety black. Male and female flowers often occur on the same tree on separate twigs. The fruit have a seedcase with wide wings enclosing it.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality
Pollination anemogamy
Spread anemochory
Mature width (meter) 11.0
Mature height (meter) 30.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 1.0
Root diameter (meter) 1.2
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It is native to Europe. It grows in moist woods and along riverbanks. It does well on lime rich soils. It suits hardiness zones 4-10. Arboretum Tasmania. Hobart Botanical Gardens.
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Forming woods on calcareous soils in the wetter parts of Britain, also in oakwoods, scrub, hedges etc. It is also often found on acid soils.
Light 6-8
Soil humidity 3-8
Soil texture 2-5
Soil acidity 5-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 4-7

Usage

The very young keys or winged fruit of the ash are pickled by steeping in salt water and vinegar then eaten as a condiment. The leaves are sometimes added to tea. The leaves are also used for a fermented drink. It is also the source of an edible manna.
Uses dye environmental use fodder material medicinal ornamental poison tea timber wood
Edible flowers fruits leaves saps seeds
Therapeutic use Antipyretics (bark), Astringents (bark), General tonic for rejuvenation (bark), Astringent (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Expectorant (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Laxative (unspecified), Malaria (unspecified), Tumor(Spleen) (unspecified), Rheumatism (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified)
Human toxicity toxic (unknown strength) (leaf), toxic (unknown strength) (fruit)
Animal toxicity toxic (leaf), toxic (fruit)

Cultivation

It can be grown from seeds.
Mode cuttings graftings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -33
Optimum temperature (C°) 8 - 20
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Fraxinus excelsior habit picture by Jean-Marie Frenoux (cc-by-sa)
Fraxinus excelsior habit picture by Jean-Marie Frenoux (cc-by-sa)
Fraxinus excelsior habit picture by Luca K (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Fraxinus excelsior leaf picture by Yoann Tulot (cc-by-sa)
Fraxinus excelsior leaf picture by lime56 (cc-by-sa)
Fraxinus excelsior leaf picture by Anne Lefrancois (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Fraxinus excelsior flower picture by Heinz Gass (cc-by-sa)
Fraxinus excelsior flower picture by Heinz Gass (cc-by-sa)
Fraxinus excelsior flower picture by Willem Defieuw (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Fraxinus excelsior fruit picture by lisa morales (cc-by-sa)
Fraxinus excelsior fruit picture by Jean-René Girardeau (cc-by-sa)
Fraxinus excelsior fruit picture by Cabanossi Jupp (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Fraxinus excelsior world distribution map, present in Austria, Bulgaria, Belarus, Canada, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Korea (Democratic People's Republic of), Romania, Russian Federation, Sweden, Turks and Caicos Islands, Ukraine, and United States of America

Conservation status

Fraxinus excelsior threat status: Near Threatened

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:609009-1
WFO ID wfo-0000832453
COL ID 6JMBM
BDTFX ID 75139
INPN ID 98921
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Fraxinus excelsior f. pendula Fraxinus excelsior f. heterophylla-variegata Fraxinus excelsior f. nana Fraxinus excelsior f. verrucosa Fraxinus exoniensis Fraxinus grandifolia Fraxinus laciniata Fraxinus pendula Fraxinus stricta Fraxinus strigata Fraxinus excelsior Fraxinus humilis Fraxinus linearis Fraxinus scolopendrifolia Fraxinus scolopendrium Fraxinus appendiculata Fraxinus excelsior f. laciniata Fraxinus atra Fraxinus bumelia Fraxinus excelsior f. argentea Fraxinus excelsior f. argenteovariegata Fraxinus excelsior f. asplenifolia Fraxinus excelsior f. aurea Fraxinus excelsior f. aurea-punctata Fraxinus excelsior f. aurea-pendula Fraxinus excelsior f. horizontalis Fraxinus excelsior f. kincairniae Fraxinus excelsior f. leucocarpa Fraxinus excelsior f. lutea Fraxinus excelsior f. monophylla Fraxinus excelsior f. monophylla-pendula Fraxinus fungosa Fraxinus globosa Fraxinus glomerata Fraxinus lucida Fraxinus pumila Fraxinus striata Fraxinus verrucosa Fraxinus excelsior f. antonii Fraxinus monophylla Fraxinus excelsior var. acuminata Fraxinus excelsior var. albovariegata Fraxinus excelsior var. argentea Fraxinus excelsior var. argenteovariegata Fraxinus excelsior var. asplenifolia Fraxinus excelsior var. atrovirens Fraxinus excelsior var. aurea Fraxinus excelsior var. aurea-pendula Fraxinus excelsior var. aureovariegata Fraxinus excelsior var. biloba Fraxinus excelsior var. crispa Fraxinus excelsior var. cucullata Fraxinus excelsior var. diversifolia Fraxinus excelsior var. erosa Fraxinus excelsior var. fungosa Fraxinus excelsior var. heterocarpa Fraxinus excelsior var. heterophylla Fraxinus excelsior var. horizontalis Fraxinus excelsior var. integrifolia Fraxinus excelsior var. jaspidea Fraxinus excelsior var. kincairniae Fraxinus excelsior var. leucocarpa Fraxinus excelsior var. lutea Fraxinus excelsior var. monstrosa Fraxinus excelsior var. nana Fraxinus excelsior var. obtusata Fraxinus excelsior var. officinalis Fraxinus excelsior var. scolopendrifolia Fraxinus excelsior var. simplicifolia Fraxinus excelsior var. spectabilis Fraxinus excelsior var. vulgaris Fraxinus excelsior var. implicata Fraxinus excelsior var. lacerata Fraxinus excelsior var. monophylla Fraxinus nana var. atrovirens Fraxinus sambucina var. coarctata Fraxinus excelsior var. striata Fraxinus excelsior var. variegata Fraxinus excelsior var. verrucosa Fraxinus viridis var. nobilis Fraxinus excelsior var. pendula-variegata Fraxinus excelsior subsp. biloba Fraxinus excelsior var. angustifolia Fraxinus excelsior var. monophylla Fraxinus excelsior f. aureopunctata Fraxinus excelsior f. aureovariegata Fraxinus excelsior f. crispa Fraxinus excelsior f. erosa Fraxinus excelsior f. mucronata Fraxinus excelsior f. paniculata Fraxinus excelsior f. purpurascens Fraxinus excelsior f. spectabilis Fraxinus excelsior f. verrucosa-pendula Fraxinus excelsior f. verticillata Fraxinus excelsior var. communis

Lower taxons

Fraxinus excelsior subsp. coriariifolia Fraxinus excelsior subsp. excelsior Fraxinus excelsior subsp. siciliensis
WorldFloraDB 2024