Ash, Velvet or Modesto
Fraxinus velutina
Oleaceae - Olive

Description

Leaves: Opposite; once pinnately compound; 3" to 6" long; deciduous; 3-9 leaflets (usually 5); densely hairy petiole; leaflets thick, narrow elliptic to lanceolate, 1" to 2" long, glabrous on top and densely hairy below, finely serrate margin above the middle.

Twigs/buds: Twigs thin; rounded; hairy-velvety when young. Terminal bud small, ovoid; 1/8" long; hairy.

Flowers/fruit: Flowers dioecious; small and inconspicuous, in small, hairy bunches; appearing in spring. Fruit a samara; 3/4" long, 1/4" wide; paddle-shaped in small clusters; matures in fall.

Bark: Gray with some red; thin; furrowed.

Wood: Unimportant; growth rings distinct; ring-porous; presumably heavy; hard.

General: A small to medium-sized tree native to the canyons of extreme southwestern Utah and scattered throughout the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. Mostly found growing in canyons near intermittent streams. Tolerant of drought, heat, and high soil pH. Shade intolerant.

Landscape Use: 'Modesto Ash' is a cultivar of this species that is more readily available. It makes an interesting and useful plant in a low water use and native plant-focused landscape. Zones 7(6?)-10.

Characteristics

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