Common Ash trees in our area:

 

 

Green Ash:

• Broadleaf deciduous tree, 50-60 ft tall × 40 ft wide.  Leaves to about 12 in long, opposite, pinnately compound, 5-9 (usually 7) leaflets, each leaflet 4-6 in long, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, margin crenate-serrate (mix of blunt and sharp teeth) or entire, dark green above, essentially glabrous above and pubescent below (sometimes only on major veins); fall color yellow, golden, or bronzy.  Leaf scars are semicircular, sometimes with a slight notch in upper line, bud generally above the scar.  Flowers dioecious, i.e., male and female trees, appearing as leaves unfold, in compact clusters, male (staminate, pollen) flowers green and purple, female (pistilate, seed) flowers greenish.  Fruit (samara) is 2.5-5 cm long and about 0.5 cm wide, the wing extends about halfway down the fruit.
• Sun-  Grows nearly anywhere, hence its (over?) popularity.  Sometimes seedling grown and any female trees have the potential to produce a large number of seeds and be a messy nuisance.
• Hardy to USDA Zone 3     The native range of the species extends from Nova Scotia to Manitoba, south to Florida and Texas (includes Pennsylvania, hence pennsylvanica, meaning from Pennsylvania).  Sometimes the Latin form is given as pensylvanica; the one "n" form is an old spelling of the former colony.

• Patmore Green Ash:

  

   Green Ash trees can grow from 35-60 ft high and may have a crown width of 30-50 ft. Grows best in sites with full sun and has a moderately high drought tolerance. Can withstand some short-term flooding and is alkali-resistant.  Green Ash is a medium to large tree whose branches may form a round or oval shape. The Patmore variety of Green Ash does not produce seeds. There are 5 to 9 serrated leaflets on each side of a central stalk that create a single ‘leaf’. A single leaf may be 7-9 in long. Leaves are bright green on both top and bottom. Green Ash is one of the first trees to turn yellow and drop its leaves in the fall.  On mature trees, grey to brownish bark displays ridges that results in a diamond-shaped appearance. 

White Ash:

• Broadleaf deciduous tree, 50-80 ft (15-24 m) high, similar spread, maintains a central leader in youth.  Lateral buds inserted in the leaf scar.  Leaves opposite, pinnately compound, 8-15 in long, 5-9 leaflets (usually 7), each 2-6 in long, basal leaves the shortest, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, usually entire, or edged near the apex or all of the margin with remote serrations, dark green and glabrous above, limited pubescence on major veins below; fall color from yellow to maroon to deep purple.  Flowers dioecious - male and female flowers on separate plants, lack petals, green to reddish purple, in clusters, appear before the leaves but not important ornamentally.  Fruit, single winged samara.

 

• Sun.  Growth may be best in deep, moist, well-drained soil, however, fall color better in full sun.  Not considered as adaptable as Green Ash, but rated higher for its ornamental attributes.

 

 

 

Common problems with Ash trees:

 

 

Insects:

 

Aphids	Ash Flower Galls	Emerald Ash Borer	Oystershell Scale
Aphids feed by sucking up plant juices through a food channel in their beaks. At the same time, they inject saliva into the host. Light infestations are usually not harmful to plants, but higher infestations may result in leaf curl, wilting, stunting of shoot growth, and delay in production of flowers and fruit, as well as a general decline in plant vigor. Some aphids are also important vectors of plant diseases, transmitting pathogens in the feeding process. A sticky glaze of honeydew may collect on lower leaves, outdoor furniture, cars, and other objects below aphid feeding sites. Honeydew coated objects soon become covered by one or more brown fungi known as sooty molds. Crusts of sooty mold are unsightly on man-made objects, and they can interfere with photosynthesis in leaves. MORE INFO	Galls are abnormal plant growth that can be caused by insects, mites or plant diseases. On Ash trees a tiny eriophyid mite causes the male flowers to grow into round greenish, 1/2 to 1 inch tumor-like structure. Sometimes the lumpy growths also cause leaf distortion. During the late summer the galls will turn dark brown and woody and will remain on the tree for more than one season. Ash flower gall mites are too small to be seen with the unaided eye.  Ash flower galls do not usually harm the health of the tree but in some years will make a tree look unsightly. In rare situations the weight of the gall tissue can cause branches to be strained.   MORE INFO	The base of infested branches becomes swollen and the bark cracks and breaks away from the wood. Canes suddenly wilt and show fine sawdust-like borings exuding from holes in the bark. Plants may be completely destroyed if the pest is not controlled. MORE INFO	Scale insects feed on plant sap. They have long, threadlike mouthparts (stylets) six to eight times longer than the insect itself. Feeding by scales slowly reduces plant vigor. Heavily infested plants grow poorly and may suffer dieback of twigs and branches. Occasionally, an infested host will be so weakened that it dies.   MORE INFO
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     Insects (cont.):                                                            Diseases:

 

Asian Longhorned Beetle	Soft Brown Scale	Anthracnose	Verticillium Wilt
The Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) is an exotic pest threatening a wide variety of hardwood trees in North America. Adults are large (0.75 - 1.50 inches long) with very long black and white banded antennae.  The body is glossy black with irregular white spots.  Adults can be seen from late spring to fall depending on the climate. ALB attacks and kills many hardwood trees, such as maple, elm, horsechestnut, ash, birch, poplar, willow and many more.  ALB could significantly disrupt the forest ecosystem if it became established over a large area.   MORE INFO	Adults are oval, soft, rather flat, and l/8 inch long. Color is usually yellowish-brown or greenish-brown. Brown soft scale is found indoors throughout the state and outdoors along the eastern seaboard. It has a very long host list and is common on gardenia, fern, camellia, oleander, fig, and many others. Reproduction is continuous with overlapping generations. Recommended controls are the same as for hemispherical scale.       MORE INFO	Probably the most common disease of green ash. It is caused by a fungus and occurs during cool, rainy weather. Initial symptoms on green ash include very small (grain of sand-sized) purple or brown spots, sometimes with a cream-colored center, on young leaves. These spots may enlarge and coalesce forming brown blotches. Leaves often become distorted and drop and young shoots may be killed. The fungus can overwinter on the ground in infected leaves and twigs, so raking and disposing infected material may help reduce infection the following spring.  MORE INFO	Wilting of leaves and dieback of branches, often one at a time or on one side of the tree, are the most severe symptoms. This can occur over a number of years, with remission of symptoms in some years, or can rapidly progress to plant death in a year or two. Other symptoms of Verticillium wilt may include: marginal browning and scorch of leaves, abnormally large seed crops, small leaves, stunting, poor annual growth, and sparse foliage. MORE INFO
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