White Ash

Fraxinus americana

Willow

Taxonomy

Division:: Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
Family:: Oleaceae
Genus:: Fraxinus
Species:: Fraxinus americana

Growth Characteristics

Life Cycle:: Perennial
Growth Habit:: Tree
Height:: More than 40 ft
Light Requirements:: Full Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Drought Tolerance:: Medium
Bloom Months:: apr, may
Bloom Colors:: Yellow, Purple

Native Range

United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Canada: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec

Keystone Species Ranking

Caterpillar Keystone:: ★☆☆☆☆ Based on number of butterfly and moth species using this genus as host plant (Source: National Wildlife Federation)

Host Plant for Caterpillars

Adita chionanthi, Ash Borer (Podosesia syringae), Banded Tussock Moth (Halysidota tessellaris), Bethune's Pinion (Lithophane bethunei), Brown-tail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea), Caloptilia fraxinella, ⚠️Canadian sphinx (Sphinx canadensis), Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), Copivaleria grotei, Dark-spotted Palthis (Palthis angulalis), Distinct Lichen Moth (Achatia distincta), Effecta Euchlaena Moth (Euchlaena effecta), fall cankerworm (Alsophila pometaria), Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), Forest Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria), Franck's sphinx moth (Sphinx franckii), Great Ash Sphinx (Sphinx chersis), Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), hibiscus Quaker (Orthosia hibisci), Hickory Tussock Moth (Lophocampa caryae), Io moth (Automeris io), Johnson's euchlaena moth (Euchlaena johnsonaria), lilac sphinx (Sphinx kalmiae), Linden looper (Erannis tiliaria), Manduca brontes, Maple spanworm (Ennomos magnaria), Marmara fraxinicola, Melanchra assimilis, Norman's Quaker (Crocigrapha normani), Obliquebanded leafroller (Choristoneura rosaceana), Ochre Euchlaena (Euchlaena marginaria), Orizaba silkmoth (Rothschildia orizaba), Orthosia revicta, Papaipema furcata, Promethea silkmoth (Callosamia promethea), Regal Moth (Citheronia regalis), reticulated sparganothis moth (Sparganothis reticulatana), Splendid Palpita Moth (Palpita magniferalis), Spring cankerworm (Paleacrita vernata), tawny brown carpet moth (Anacamptodes ephyraria), Twin-spotted sphinx (Smerinthus jamaicensis), Waved Sphinx (Ceratomia undulosa), White-marked Tussock Moth (Orgyia leucostigma), Winter moth (Operophtera brumata), woolly gray (Lycia ursaria), Baltimore checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), hickory hairstreak (Satyrium caryaevorum)

Soil Requirements

Soil Type:: rich, well-drained loamy soil
pH:: 6.0 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
Drainage:: good drainage preferred
Moisture:: consistently moist
Notes:: prefers deep, fertile soils in floodplains or upland forests

Germination Information

Pre-treatment: Seeds are cold stratified for 56 to 140 days, soaked in water for several hours or overnight, treated with fungicide and artificially stratified for 48 days in moist peat moss in a cooler at 36 F.

Establishment: Seeds are collected from mature fruit heads or purchased from local collectors. The plant is found within temperate deciduous forests of eastern North America, from Nova Scotia to Florida and Texas, and up to 1,050 m (3,450 ft) in the mountains. It occurs in a variety of deciduous and coniferous forests, as well as in riparian areas, typically on well-drained soils.

Source: npn.rngr.net