Fraxinus nigra

Common Names

Black Ash, Basket Ash, Swamp Ash, Hoop Ash, Brown Ash, Water Ash

Summary

Black ash is a native eastern North American deciduous tree with a slender trunk and rounded crown, typically 35–75 ft tall, and gray bark that is corky when young and becomes scaly with age. It grows in wet, poorly drained habitats such as swamps, bogs, floodplains, and lowlands; leaves are opposite and pinnately compound with 7–11 leaflets (leaflets 3–5 in long); flowers are inconspicuous and wind-pollinated; fruit is a winged samara about 2.5–4.5 cm long. Leaves turn yellow in autumn.

For cultivation, it tolerates moist to wet soils with a pH range of 4.4–8.2 and is shade intolerant and slow-growing. It reproduces by seed and sprouts, with irregular seed crops every 1–8 years; seed germination occurs in the second spring and seed dormancy can last up to 8 years. Wood is valued for basketry and interior furniture, and regeneration after disturbance occurs via sprouts from stumps or roots; however, this tree is highly susceptible to the emerald ash borer, limiting plantings and sometimes necessitating removal or replacement in affected regions.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

40-90 ft

Spread

20-65 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 2-5

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun; tolerates partial sun (about 45–50% of full sun) and partial shade.

Soil Type

Moist to wet, poorly drained soils (peat, muck, or organic soils) in wetlands, swamps, and floodplains.

Soil Drainage

Wet, poorly drained soils

Soil pH

4.4-8.2

Bloom Color

Insignificant

Bloom Time

Spring

Foliage Color

Green, turning yellow to gold in autumn.

Fall Foliage Color

Yellow

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Slow

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds and vegetative propagation via stump sprouts from adventitious buds and root suckers

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts birds