English Ash, European ash, Common ash
Fraxinus excelsior

Family: Oleaceae

What it is like

A large deciduous tree. It can grow 42 m high. The crown is broad. The bark is firm and ridged. The leaves are dark green. The leaves are made up of several leaflets. There are 9-11 narrow leaflets along the stalk. The leaflets are 5-8 cm long. They have teeth around the edge and turn yellow in autumn. The flower buds are velvety black. Male and female flowers often occur on the same tree on separate twigs. The fruit have a seedcase with wide wings enclosing it.

There are about 65 Fraxinus species. They are mostly temperate and subtropical.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It is native to Europe. It grows in moist woods and along riverbanks. It does well on lime rich soils. It suits hardiness zones 4-10. Arboretum Tasmania. Hobart Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Andorra, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Balkans, Belgium, Bosnia, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Caucasus, Central Asia, Czech, Denmark, Europe, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Himalayas, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, Netherlands, North America, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Scandinavia, Siberia, Sicily, Slovenia, South America, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Yugoslavia

How it is used for food

The very young keys or winged fruit of the ash are pickled by steeping in salt water and vinegar then eaten as a condiment. The leaves are sometimes added to tea. The leaves are also used for a fermented drink. It is also the source of an edible manna.

It is cultivated in Sicily for Manna.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds, manna, leaves - tea, sap

How it is grown

It can be grown from seeds.

They are fast growing.

Its other names

Local names

Bijeli jasen, Ipini, Veliki jesen

Synonyms

Ornus moorcroftiana (Wall.) G. Don.; Fraxinus moorcroftiana Wall. ex DC.; Fraxinus hookeri Wenz.;