Identifying Characteristics
| Size/Form: | White ash is a large tree that reaches 70 to 80 feet in height, 2 to 3 feet in diameter. This tree has been known to reach 125 feet in rare instances. In the forest it has a clear, straight bole, supporting a narrow, pyramidal crown. Open-grown trees produce branches within a few feet of the ground and form a broad, round-topped, symmetrical crown. |
| Leaves: | Leaves are odd-pinnately compound, opposite, and deciduous. They are 8 to 13 inches long, with 5 to 9 stalked leaflets per leaf. The leaflets are oval to elliptical-shaped, 2 to 4 inches long, 1 to 3 inches wide. Leaflet apices are acute and leaflet bases are rounded or wedge-shaped. Leaflet margins are toothed or entire. Leaf surfaces are dark green and glabrous above, paler below and more or less pubescent. The rachis is stout and grooved. |
| Twigs: | The twigs are stout and green to greenish-brown. The pith is white and homogeneous. |
| Bark: | This light gray-brown bark is characterized by having deep, narrow ridges that form a diamond-shaped pattern. |
| Flowers: | The light green to purplish flowers are dioecious and lack petals. Male flowers occur in tight clusters and female flowers grow in loose panicles. |
| Fruit: | The fruit is a light-brown samara, about 1 inch long. They are often produced in clumps of 10 to 100 samaras. |
Similar Trees on the Florida 4-H Forest Ecology Contest List:
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