Green Ash

Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Size: 3g & 5g availability

Tree
Max size: 70’ tall x 30’ wide
Average Size: 50′ tall x 25′ wide

Usually Moist, Moist to Dry
Clay, Loam, Sand
Sun, Part Shade
Tolerant of moderate salt spray

Green ash are a deciduous tree with inconspicuous spring blooms. The inedible fruit ripens from summer to fall. It is a specimen for its interesting leaves, but has somewhat weak wood. Birds like to eat its seeds and is the larval host for eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa), orange sulphur (Colias eurytheme), and viceroy (Limenitis archippus).

It is a sacred tree of the Omaha; it is connected to the beneficent natural world and part of the sacred pole. Historically it was a useful wood for numerous tribes; it can be used to make firewood, handles for hoes, baskets, axes, sleds, tent poles, pipe stems, paddles, and more. Ojibwa people cook and eat the inner bark; it reportedly tastes like eggs.