With dark green pinnate leaves, silvery-brown bark, and clusters of tiny greenish or purple flowers, the white ash tree is a spectacular deciduous shade tree. The irregular pyramidal or rounded crown, thick foliage, and lovely crimson autumn hues distinguish the huge branching white ash. Because it is easy to grow and tolerates difficult urban conditions, this ash species is also known as the American ash tree. It is popular as a specimen tree and often lines streets.
The white ash tree can be identified in this article. The tree’s distinguishing features, such as flowers, leaves, bark, and seeds, are described and photographed in depth. If you want to plant a white ash tree in your garden landscape, there are also helpful advice on growing and maintaining it.
White Ash Facts
A hardwood deciduous tree species native to North America, white ash (Fraxinus americana) is a hardwood deciduous tree species. The olive family, Oleaceae, and the ornamental tree belong to the ash tree genus Fraxinus. The complex leaves, upright spreading branches, oval or pyramidal form, and white timber of white ash trees distinguishes them.
White ash (Fraxinus americana) grows to be 60–80 feet (18–24 meters) tall and broad. The lovely shade tree grows between 12″ and 24″ (30 and 60 cm) each year on average. White ash may grow for up to 200 years if it doesn’t succumb to disease in ideal growing conditions.
USDA zones 3 through 9 are ideal for Native American ash trees. Ash trees thrives best in organically rich, well-drained loamy soil in full sun. White ash can tolerate some shade and established ash trees are drought tolerant, despite preferring six hours of sunlight daily. In the United States, white ash trees (Fraxinus) are the most frequent kind of tree.
The white ash timber is valuable in addition to being prized as an easy-to-grow street tree or landscaping tree. Baseball bats, tool handles, oars, hockey sticks, furniture, and flooring are all made of the tough and white-colored hardwood.
White Ash Leaves
Pinnately compound leaves with seven leaflets make up on the white ash tree, and they are identified as such by experts. Individual leaflets are 3 to 5 inch (7.5 to 13 cm) long and pointy, lance-shaped blades that grow in the opposite direction. The white ash compound leaf is 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) long in total.
Late in the spring, white ash tree leaves turn dark green. The large tree’s leafy canopy is ideal for park and residential gardens, providing a thick canopy. White ash leaves turn vibrant yellow, crimson, and purple colors in the autumn.
Fraxinus americana’s popular name comes from the fact that its white ash autumn leaves have a pale underside.
White Ash Bark
As the tree grows, white ash bark becomes deeply furrowed and takes on a gray or light brown color. The clear diamond pattern or net-like structure and sharp ridges that cover the upright central stem are two characteristics of white ash bark. The olive-green color of white ash twigs and stems is pleasant to touch. Three lateral buds at the end of the stout greenish twigs have a notched top.
White Ash Tree Flowers
White ash trees produce clusters of tiny, fuzzy blooms that bloom in the spring. Male and female flowers occur on different trees, making white ash trees dioecious. Female ash trees have loose clusters of light green to purple blooms on their panicles. In comparison to female flowers, male flowers have tighter clusters.
White Ash Seeds (Fruit)
Just female white ash trees bear fruit, which is clusters of flattened, winged seeds called samaras, after blooming. The seed cases are yellowish to pale green in color and are oval and slender. The white ash tree’s all-season appeal is due to the abundance of pendulous samaras that persist on it from August through winter.
In the autumn, white ash seeds become a problem because they are so scatterbrained. Planting a male white ash tree (a seedless plant) is one way to avoid having to clean up after a fall. The tree doesn’t produce any seeds after the little purple flower clusters wither after blooming.
White Ash Tree Fall Color
White ash trees turn a gorgeous range of orange-yellow, dark burgundy red, and purple-red hues in the fall. White ash trees provide a lot of beauty and color in the fall landscape or city street. The most gorgeous of all the native ash tree species, white ash rain color is described by many people.
How to Identify White Ash Tree
The pinnately compound leaves with five to nine leaflets, diamond-shaped ridges, grayish bark, and an irregular rounded crown identify white ash trees. The vivid yellow, red, or purple hues of white ash make it easy to spot in the autumn. Drooping clusters of samaras can be seen on branches as well.
Where to Plant White Ash Tree
Select the brightest area in your yard to grow a white ash tree. The ground should be well-draining and moderately fertile at the planting place, but it should retain moisture. White ash, on the other hand, can tolerate some shade and brief flooding. This is good to know.
The long-term health of a white ash tree depends on choosing the best planting location. When deciding where to put a white ash tree, spacing is another factor to consider. The tree has a similar spread and matures at 50 to 80 feet (15 to 24 meters). To avoid structural problems later, you’ll need to plant the white ash 20 to 30 feet (6 to 10 meters) from buildings.
It’s a good idea to learn about the emerald ash borer if you’re considering planting an ash tree on your property. Millions of ash trees are killed each year by this invasive iridescent green beetle, which is common in many states. It’s preferable to choose a different native tree species if the beetle is a issue where you dwell.
How to Plant White Ash Tree
Buying a rooted tree from a nursery is the simplest strategy to get an American ash planted. dig a 2-foot-deeper hole twice the size of the root ball’s circumference Next, to make the soil more fertile, add a generous amount of organic compost to it. Next, place the white ash in the hole, ensuring that it is growing at the same level as the nursery container.
Finally, firmly pack the soil around the tree’s root system in the hole you’ve just filled. Lastly, dig a little trench around the root’s edge. This prevents rainwater from draining away and permits the roots to be thoroughly watered.
Growing a White Ash from Seed
Since germination takes 18 months, growing a white ash seedling requires dedication. Harvest brown samaras that are still hanging on branches in October and throughout the winter. After that, you’ll have to peel the seeds off of their papery casings. Before the seeds can germinate, they must be pre-treated.
Drain the seeds, soak for 24 hours, then drain them again for a total of 48 hours in cold water. Plant the seed in a pot using horticultural sand and peat-free compost with an equal amount of each. Cover the seeds with 0.8″ to 1.2″ (2 cm) of sand on top of the potting soil surface.
Leave the pots outdoors for 18 months in a shaded area. To avoid the soil from drying out, water it every now and then. Before planting in the ground, the white ash seeds must spend a full summer and winter outside to germinate. You may separate many seedlings to different nursery pots if they sprout.
They will continue to develop there. You can transplant white ash seedlings to the yard and put them in a sunny area, for example, when they’re 15″ (40 cm) tall.
White ash seedlings
White Ash Tree (Fraxinus americana) Care Guide
When grown in a yard, white ash trees are simple to care for. The American ash prefers fertile, well-drained, moist soil and requires six hours of direct sunlight to thrive. To ensure a white ash thrives, proper watering, fertilization, and trimming are required.
How to Water White Ash Tree
In evenly moist, fertile soils, white ash trees flourish. As a result, you should water a white ash sufficiently to keep the soil moist without becoming waterlogged. If there hasn’t been any rain during the summer, you’ll have to water the tree every seven to ten days. During late fall and winter, however, regular rainfall should suffice. As a result, between November and February, you don’t have to water a white ash tree.It’s worth noting that a newly planted white ash needs watering more frequently. After planting a nursery tree, water the plant every day for the first two weeks. Water every two to three days from week three to week twelve. You may ordinarily water the ash tree after three months.
White Ash Tree Fertilization
White ash trees aren’t particularly hungry. Annual fertilization in the fall, on the other hand, benefits them. NPK 10-10-10 is the balanced tree fertilizer that you should apply. Leave a 24-inch (60 cm) diameter free around the central trunk, and apply the slow-release fertilizer evenly under the tree canopy.
Pruning a White Ash Tree
To encourage a healthy branching system, eliminate dead or diseased limbs, and improve air circulation, white ash trees must be pruned. White ash trees should be pruned in the autumn, right after the leaves have fallen. The age of the ash tree determines how often it should be pruned.
Young ash trees require pruning in order to establish a central, leadership trunk. Look for the most vigorous main stem a couple of years after the tree is planted. To ensure a robust leader develops, then trim the remaining stems. Then, to increase air circulation, cut back any thin branches yearly.
Every few years, pruning mature white ash trees is all that’s required. To improve the tree’s health, you should trim back damaged, diseased, or dead branches. Also, cut back branches that rub against other limbs or are crossed over. Pruning bigger, mature white ash trees might be better handled by professional arborists. If the white ash is tall or growing near buildings, this is especially true.
Pests Affecting White Ash Tree Growth
The emerald ash borer is the most harmful bug that affects white ash trees. A mature ash tree can be killed by tree-destroying beetles in just a few years. Aphids, ash plant bugs, caterpillars, ash sawflies, and gall mites are among the other insect pests that affect ash trees. A summary of white ash tree pests follows:
Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis)White ash trees are afflicted by the invasive green beetle. The metallic green beetle, known as EAB for short, kills ash trees in a matter of minutes. The beetle deposits eggs inside bark pockets and the larvae erupt, burrowing into the tree. Dead leaves, dead branches, and bark pieces that fall away showing a snaking pattern below are all indications of Emerald Ash Borer infestation.
You should contact a professional to determine if it is feasible to save the tree if you see indications of borer damage.
Ash plant bugs (Tropidosteptes amoenus) Little black insects that feed on sap and pierce leaf tissue are known as puncture pests. Ash plant bugs usually just cause superficial damage and don’t affect the tree’s health. The dark green ash leaves, on the other hand, may wilt, turn brown, and display abnormal characteristics.
Caterpillars Defoliating white ash trees is a common occurrence in the Lepidoptera order. Hairy or striped caterpillars can be seen feeding on the leaves in large numbers. The hungry larvae skeletonize the leaves due to the significant foliar damage.
Leaf Curl ash aphids (Prociphilus fraxinifolia) Feeds on the underside of leaves and affects green and white ash trees. The distinctive twisted twig ends and clusters of curled leaves on ash trees signify aphid damage. Aphids don’t harm the tree’s overall health, despite the fact that the ash leaves look terrible.
Diseases Affecting White Ash Tree Growth
An ash tree’s growth and leaves may be harmed by a variety of tree diseases. Before the infection spreads, spotting symptoms of fungal or bacterial illness may help you identify and remove the infected portion of the tree. White ash trees are susceptible to the following diseases:
Ash yellows (Candidatus Phytoplasma fraxini) White ash tree growth is influenced by a bacterial infection. Slow development and tiny, light green leaves are indications of ash yellow. Tufts may also become home to new branches. Before the illness spreads, it is critical to prune all sick sections of the tree.
Ash anthracnose (Gnomoniella fraxini) large light brown or black patches form on the margins of leaves as a result of this fungal disease. An afflicted white ash tree might lose all of its leaves in severe cases. The finest way to maintain the tree’s health is through pruning and destroying affected branches, twigs, and leaves.
Ash rust (Puccinia fraxinata) leaves become twisted and distorted as a result of this frequent fungal disease. On an infected white ash tree, you may also see yellow or orange spongy growths. Ash rust doesn’t harm trees, despite the fact that yellow cankers and twisted leaves make it seem unwell.
Powdery mildew It forms a gray to white powder or a fuzzy ash-gray film that appears on white ash leaves as a dusting. On ash trees with poor air circulation or that grow in shaded, wet conditions, this fungal infection is widespread. Leaves might turn yellow or brown and drop early as a result of foliar disease. Nonetheless, the health of the tree is seldom harmed.