Green Ash

Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Jerzy Opioła

Taxonomy

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

Growth Characteristics

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

Native Range

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

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, American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana), Ash Borer (Podosesia syringae), Carpenterworm Moth (Prionoxystus robiniae), Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), Cydia ingrata, fall cankerworm (Alsophila pometaria), hibiscus Quaker (Orthosia hibisci), Marmara basidendroca, Marmara corticola, Marmara fraxinicola, Norman's Quaker (Crocigrapha normani), Olceclostera seraphica, One-spotted variant moth (Hypagyrtis unipunctata), Papaipema furcata, Promethea silkmoth (Callosamia promethea), tawny brown carpet moth (Anacamptodes ephyraria), ugly-nest caterpillar moth (Archips cerasivorana), Wanton Pinion (Lithophane petulca), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

Reported Fauna Sightings

Butterflies:Appalachian Azure (Celastrina neglectamajor), Appalachian Azure (Celastrina neglectamajor), Duskywing sp. (Erynnis Schrank), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Pterourus glaucus), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Pterourus glaucus), Horace's Duskywing (Gesta Evans), Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme), Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme), Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), Red-Spotted Purple (astyanax) (Limenitis arthemis), Red-Spotted Purple (astyanax) (Limenitis arthemis), Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus), Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus)

Soil Requirements

Soil Type:: rich, well-drained loamy soil
pH:: 5.5 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
Drainage:: tolerates poor drainage
Moisture:: consistently moist
Notes:: Commonly found in floodplains and riverbanks

Germination Information

Pre-treatment: Seeds are soaked in clean water for 10 days with daily water changes, then stratified for 48-90 days in moist peat moss at 36 F.

Establishment: Seeds are purchased from local collectors within a 50 mile radius of the nursery. The plant is found mostly on moist fertile soils in a variety of deciduous and open coniferous forests, as well as in riparian areas. Seed sources are from south central Missouri.

Source: npn.rngr.net