Red ash

Leaves

Form

• Pinnately compound
• 5–9 (usually 7) leaflets
• Leaflets oval, taper-pointed
• Central stalk hairy
• Lower surface densely hairy

Length

• Leaflets 10–15 cm
• Leaf and central stalk 15–20 cm

Colour

• Upper surface yellowish-green
• Lower surface paler

Autumn colour

• Yellowish-brown

Margin

• Toothed above middle

Buds

Form

• Terminal bud present, hairy
• Uppermost pair of lateral buds set close to terminal bud
• Leaf scars semicircular, sometimes with a slight notch in their upper surface

Length

• Terminal bud 3–8 mm

Colour

• Reddish-brown

Twigs

Form

• Moderately stout
• Densely hairy, less so in winter

Colour

• Greyish-brown

Flowers

Form

• Panicles
• Stalks densely hairy 

Structure

• Dioecious

Floral timing

• After the leaves appear

Fruits

Form

• Wing enclosing one-half or more of seedcase
• Often notched at the tip

Length

• 3–6 cm

Structure

• Samara

Bark

Form

• Becoming broken into firm, narrow, irregular, slightly raised ridges
• that intersect and form a diamond-shaped pattern

Colour

• Greyish-brown
• Often tinged with red on young branchlets

Size

Height

• To 25 m 

Diameter

• To 60 cm

Maximum age

• 100 years

Tree form

Forest-grown

Trunk

• Variable

Habitat

Site

• Bottomlands
• Withstands many weeks of flooding during dormant season
• Confined to river valleys in the Prairie provinces

Light tolerance

• Moderately shade-tolerant

Associated species

• Willow, silver maple, eastern cottonwood
  

Range

Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia

Other

Currently, only the species Fraxinus pennsylvanica is recognized by taxonomists under the common name green ash. Other classifications recognize varietal forms, including the following:

• Green ash
• Northern red ash