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Ash

Fraxinus (FRAK-si-nus)

Family: Oleaceae Unknown Herbaceous

Ash trees are found throughout North America, Centra America, Europe, Asia, and parts of North Africa. Several species are native to North Carolina. They are members of the olive family (Oleaceae). The genus name is a classical name for the trees. Ash trees are generally easy to grow in sunny or partially shaded situations. They grow in any soil type but do best where moisture is continuously available. Growing ash trees is risky, given the destructive emerald ash borer that is now established in our area. Learn more about efforts to control emerald ash borer from Biological Control of Emerald Ash Borer in North Carolina . Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: The emerald ash borer is the most serious existential threat to ash trees, but other pests include ash flower gall mite, brownheaded ash sawfly, ash lacebug, and the redheade ash borer.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 43 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Perennial
USDA zones
4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasional Flooding | Occasionally Wet
Available space
24-60 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending; Erect; Rounded; Spreading; Vase
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Papery
Leaf value
Showy
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The pinnately compound, opposite leaves make excellent shade.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow; Orange
Flower color
Insignificant
Flower form
Panicle
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Small, greenish flowers in large panicles.
Bloom time
Spring
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Attracts
Pollinators; Songbirds
Play value
Wildlife Cover/Habitat; Wildlife Larval Host; Wildlife Nesting
Landscape Use
Landscape theme
Asian Garden; Children's Garden; Cottage Garden; Native Garden
Design feature
Barrier; Foundation Planting; Shade Tree; Specimen; Street Tree
Garden tags
#tree #perennial #wind dispersed seeds #NC native #pests
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Emerald Ash Borer; Brownheaded Ash Sawfly; Ash Lace Bug; Redheaded Ash Borer; Common Insect Pests of Ash in North Carolina
Disease problems
Diseases of Ash Trees in North Carolina
Other problems
Ash Flower Gall Mite
Problems
Frequent Insect Problems

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.