Green Ash (Red Ash, Swamp Ash)
Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Oleaceae (Olive family)
AI-generated identification · may be incorrect
Leaf Morphology
Leaf Type
Pinnately compound (though the sample appears to be a single detached leaflet), deciduous
Shape
Lanceolate to ovate with an acuminate tip
Margin
Serrate (finely toothed) along the upper half to two-thirds
Arrangement
Opposite
Venation
Pinnate with a prominent yellowish midrib and prominent lateral veins
Key Features
Opposite compound leaves, finely toothed leaflets, diamond-fissured bark on mature trees, and U-shaped leaf scars on the twigs
Description
Green Ash is a medium to large deciduous tree known for its strong, hard wood and graceful, spreading canopy. The bark is gray-brown with deep, tight interlacing ridges forming a diamond pattern. It produces inconspicuous wind-pollinated flowers in spring followed by single-winged samaras (keys).
Habitat
Found primarily in wet soils along streams, rivers, floodplains, and lake margins, but remarkably adaptable to upland sites
Native Range
Native to central and eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to Alberta, and south to Florida and Texas
Notes
Northern Minnesota