Contains 3 accepted taxa overall.
Characteristics
Classification
Citation
FRAXINUS Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1057. 1753.
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TYPE: Fraxinus axcelsior Linnaeus Lectotypified by Britton & A. Brown, Ill. Fl. N. U.S., ed. 2. 2: 724. 1913.
Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Herbarium Specimens | Status | Photos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fraxinus americana | WHITE ASH | Native FACU (NWPL) | ||
| Fraxinus caroliniana | CAROLINA ASH; WATER ASH; POP ASH | Native OBL (NWPL) D (WAP) OBL (DEP) | ||
| Fraxinus pennsylvanica | GREEN ASH; PUMPKIN ASH | Native FACW (NWPL) OBL (DEP) |
Identification Key
1. Stem sometimes with flaking waxy surface, especially 2nd year; terminal buds dark reddish-brown to blackish, mostly obtuse-deltoid and apiculate, about as wide as twig; leaf-scar often broadly U-shaped and deeply concave along upper edge; leaflet upper surface plain green to olive or bluish when dried, lower surface whitish or uniformly fine-textured bluish-silvery (with dense minute 1–10 um wide waxy papillae and reticulating ridges visible at 25X), the ultimate veinlets usually somewhat obscured; leaves turning golden yellow, pinkish, reddish or purplish in fall, their hairs usually whitish; fruit with wing decurrent only to distal 1/3 of body or less, the wings 3-7(10) mm wide with 3-5 veins on each side of the wing, the body plump and sub-terete, distinctly thicker the surrounding wing, or in F. pauciflora the fruit more like the second lead below; of well-drained mesic hammocks and forests or hydric sites in F. pauciflora; Americana group
2
1. Stem without flaking waxy surface; terminal buds brown to reddish-brown, usually acute and longer than wide, often narrower than twig when viewed on edge; leaf-scar nearly hemispheric and slightly convex or truncate to slightly concave along upper edge; leaflet upper surface dark green to dull orange-brown or reddish green when dried, lower surface pale to medium green beneath (without minute waxy reticulating papillae), the ultimate veinlets usually prominent; leaves turning yellowish or orange-brown in fall, their hairs often slightly yellowish to reddish; fruit with wing decurrent to middle or below of body, the wings 8-22 mm wide with 5-19 veins on each side of the wing, the body relatively flattened, not much thicker than surrounding wing; mesic-hydric to hydric hammocks, forests, and swamps; Pennsylvanica Group
4
2. Fruit wings 8-22 mm wide with 5-19 veins on each side of the wing, the body relatively flattened, not appreciably thicker than surrounding wing; mesic-hydric to hydric hammocks, forests, and swamps; tetraploid
2. Fruit wings 3-7(10) mm wide with 3-5 veins on each side of the wing, the body plump and sub-terete, distinctly thicker the surrounding wing; of well-drained mesic hammocks and forests
3
3. Young stems and rachises usually glabrous; petiole bases deeply notched (mostly 30-50% of width) around buds, the margins often sharply angled; upper leaflet surfaces usually plain yellowish-green, lower surfaces usually with hairs restricted to midrib and proximal parts of primary veins, sometimes more widespread to dense; fruit 25-38(45) mm long, 3-5.5(7) mm wide, body mostly 6-11 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm wide; diploid, rarely tetraploid or pentaploid
3. Young stems and rachis densely pubescent to glabrate; petiole bases slightly notched (mostly 0-20% of width) around buds, the margins usually blunt; upper leaflet surfaces usually somewhat bluish-green, lower surfaces with hairs often widespread and usually dense along veins, sometimes glabrate; fruit mostly 30-50 mm long, 5-7 mm wide, body mostly 10-15 mm long, 2-4 mm wide; tetraploid or hexaploid
4. Shrub to tree, to 20 m, single to multi-trunked; petiolules <1 cm long; leaflets usually 5 (occasionally 3 or 7), 1.8-4 cm wide, thin textured, obtuse to acute; fruit 7-20 mm wide, broadly elliptic to narrowly oblanceolate or spatulate, the body lateral edges indistinct from the wing
5
4. Large tree, to 30 m, generally with a single trunk; petiolules 0.5-2 cm long; leaflets usually 7 (occasionally 5), 2.5-7 cm wide, firm textured, of uniform shape, acute to acuminate; fruit 4-12 mm wide, rhombic to narrowly spatulate or linear, the body edges distinct, slightly thicker than surrounding wing
6
5. Fruit 35-46 mm long, (10)12-20(22) mm wide, rhombic to broadly elliptic, elliptic-obovate, oblong-obovate, or rhombic-ovate, the body usually >½ the length, wings 2-3, lateral veins (11)13-19 on each side of the wing; diploid or tetraploid
5. Fruit (25)30-50(54) mm long, 6-10(12) mm wide, obovate-oblanceolate. narrowly obovate, to narrowly elliptic-obovate, the body usually <½ the length, wings 2, lateral veins 5-9 on each side of the wing; diploid
6. Young stems and leaves usually densely pubescent, infrequently glabrous; leaflets mostly 9-15 cm long, 3.5-7 cm wide, usually truncate to rounded at base, the distal pair of petiolules (3)4-14(20) mm long; female flowers with calyx (1)2.5–5(7) mm long; anthers with slender terminal cusp 0.5-1 mm long; fruit (32)42-65(74) mm long, (5.5)6-11(12) mm wide, wing decurrent to 50-100% below apex of body, apex usually emarginate with a notch ca. 1 mm, the mature body usually 18-30 mm long, 2.5-4.5 mm wide, plump with obscure ridges and channels, pale to dark reddish-brown; octoploid
6. Young stems and leaves glabrous to moderately pubescent; leaflets mostly 7.5-11 cm long, 2.5-5 cm wide, usually cuneate, the distal pair of petiolules (0)1-5(9) mm long; female flowers with calyx 0.5-2(2.5) mm long; anthers with an apiculate tip 0.2-0.4 mm long; fruit 25-50(60) mm long, 3-8(11) mm wide, the wing decurrent to 20-50% below apex of body, the apex usually rounded to slightly emarginate with a notch rarely to 1 mm, the mature body usually 12-22 mm long, 1-2.5 mm wide, not plump, with distinct ridges and channels, pale yellowish-brown to dark brown but rarely reddish; diploid
7
7. Young stems, rachises, and leaflets glabrous or glabrate, except along midrib on lower leaflet surfaces; leaflets mostly 3.5-4.5 cm wide, often weakly serrate, especially those of vigorous shoots; fruit mostly 4-5 mm wide
7. Young stems, rachises, and lower leaflet surfaces densely pubescent; leaflets mostly 4-5 cm wide, usually subentire; fruit mostly 5-6 mm wide
Genus Synonyms
| Synonym | Full Citation | Basionym | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aplilia | Aplilia Rafinesque, New Fl. 3: 93. 1838 ("1836"). | TYPE: Non designatus. | |
| Calycomelia | Calycomelia Kosteletzky, Allg. Med.-Pharm. Fl. 3: 1003. 1834. | TYPE: Non designatus. | |
| Fraxinoides | Fraxinoides Medikus, Vorles. Churpfaelz. Phys.-Oecon. Ges. 1: 198. 1791; Philos. Bot. 2: 38. 1791. | TYPE: Non designatus. | |
| Leptalix | Leptalix Rafinesque, New Fl. 3: 93. 1838 ("1936"). | TYPE: Non designatus. | |
| Mannaphorus | Mannaphorus Rafinesque, Amer. Monthly Mag. & Crit. Rev. 2: 175. 1818. | TYPE: = Ornus Boehmer 1760. | |
| Ornanthes | Ornanthes Rafinesque, New Fl. 3: 93. 1838 ("1836"). | TYPE: = Ornus Boehmer 1760. | |
| Ornus | Ornus Boehmer, in Ludwig, Deg. Gen. Pl., ed. 3. 476. 1760. | TYPE: Ornus europaea Persoon (Fraxinus ornus Linnaeus) | |
| Petlomelia | Petlomelia Nieuwland, Amer. Midl. Naturalist 3: 187. 1914. | TYPE: Petlomelia dipetalal (Hooker & Arnott) Nieuwland (Fraxinus dipetala Hooker & Arnott) | |
| Samarpses | Samarpses Rafinesque, New Fl. 3: 93. 1838 ("1836"). | TYPE: Samarpses triptera (Nuttall) Rafinesque (Fraxinus triptera Nuttall) |