The Red Ash or the Fraxinus Pennsylvanica Marsh

Wayne Kunkel

The classification

Red AshKingdom of the Red Ash is Plantae The subkingdom is TracheobionataThe super division is SpermatophytaThe division is MagnoliophyteThe class is MagnoliophytaThe subclass is Asteridae

Classification continued

The order is scrophularialesThe family is OleaceaThe genus is FraxinusThe species is Pennsylvanica

The location of the Red Ash

Figure 1 This picture shows the wide area of which the Red Ash is located in. It is a very popular ornamental tree

This tree in general is common, its habitat can include city streets or the woods, versatile tree.

Shape of the Red Ash

The shape of the tree changes as it matures. When it is mature it is usually an upright rounded or upright oval shape.

It can grow to 60 feet tall and can have a spread of 40 feet

Figure 2 Shows a Rounded Red ash

What’s a Red Ash good for? It’s a very adaptable tree and can

survive in cities It has corked bark when it gets older

and is an ornamental tree very commonly planted

The Red Ash is also a good shade tree

Is a hard wood good for tools, White Ash is usually preferred over this wood though

Figure 3 This dibber’s handle is made of Ash wood

The barkFigure 4 This shows the bark of a young tree

Figure 5 Shows the ridged corky bark of an older Green Ash or Red Ash

The bark changes with the age of the tree. When it is younger it has the flaky shingle look as shown in figure 4. As it gets older it falls off and leaves behind the ridged bark shown in figure 5.

The twig, the bud and the leaf

Figure 6 Shows the Red Ash twig and bud on the right, the left is white ash

The twig is irregular in shape and in general the leaves leave a D shaped mark where as the White Ash leaves a U shape.

The leaf of the Ash is very green which is why one of the common names of this species is the Green Ash, the leaf is compound and pinnate. It has anywhere from 5-9 leaflets.

Figure 7 Shows the dark green leaf of a Red Ash tree

Flower and Fruit

The Red Ash has two separate trees female and male unlike the Blue Ash

The flower is a seed anchored to a large flat piece which makes it spin when it falls off

Figure 8 Shows a flower of the Red Ash

Figure 9 Shows the seed of a Red Ash which looks similar to a wing

References, Picture

Figure 1 first link original picture second link used picture http://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/atlas/little/fraxpe nn.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fraxinus_pennsylvanica.png

Figure 2 http://www.realaction.ca/images/nativetrees/redash_180.jpg

References, Pictures http://cdn5.mydeco.com/product_images/full

/c3240e9f23c1bd6250e1a8fec6226a8ff25e75ec.jpg figure 3 tool made of ash

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/18/trees/imagetrees/ash_gr_brk_lg.jpg figure 4 bark of young tree

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UdIftRLT2AY/SJUrPP-XAZI/AAAAAAAAASc/sAbT_fgtVH4/s400/080803GreenAshBark.jpg figure 5 bark of an older tree

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/18/trees/imagetrees/ash_gr_bud_lg.jpg figure 6 twig

Figure 7 leaf flower figure 8 seed figure 9 http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/forestry/trees/ash_gr/tabid/5330/Default.aspx

References, text

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraxinus_pennsylvanica used for the range

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraxinus was used for classification

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/forestry/trees/ash_gr/tabid/5330/Default.aspx

used for information in general, identifiable features

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5845981_red-ash-trees-used-for_.html

uses of the red ash

References, text

http://www.plantguide.org/red-ash-tree.html twig information