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Fraxinus latifolia

Oregon Ash

At a Glance: Tough-wooded tree with gray bark and compound leaflets arranged oppositely around twigs.

Height: Up to 82 feet (25 meters).
Growth Form: Tree.
Stems: Bark becomes greyish-brown and fissured with age.
Leaves: Pinnately compound with 5-7 oval leaflets, leaflets arranged oppositely, leaves turn yellow in fall; leaf size: up to 13 cm (5 in) long; color: olive green above, pale below.
Flowers: Flowers inconspicuous, appear before the leaves in bunched clusters on the twigs; primary color: yellowish (male), greenish (female); size: 3 mm across.
Flowering Period: March, April, May.
Fruits: Winged 1 seeded fruits (samaras) like half of a maple fruit; occur in large clusters on female tree; fruit stalks very fine; shape: paddle shaped; size: 3-5 cm (1-2 in) long.


Photo © 2004, Starflower Foundation

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	Prefers to be near streams or areas that flood. wet moist dry	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
Prefers saturated .
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value
Berries Seeds Nectar for hummingbirds Nectar for butterflies Host for insect larvae Thickets and shelter Thorny or protective cover	Birds: The seeds are eaten by grosbeaks, wood ducks, finches, grouse, and others. Provides nesting sites for birds, including cavity nesters. Insects: Leaves eaten by butterfly larvae. Mammals: Beavers use wood for dams, twigs and leaves are eaten by deer and elk. Other Wildlife: Sapsuckers use them as drill sites.

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Material Uses: The Cowlitz used the wood for canoe paddles and digging sticks. Traditional wisdom suggested that poisonous snakes would not crawl over Oregon Ash sticks. It was thought that poisonous snakes would not be found where this tree grows. Modern uses of the wood include furniture, flooring, boxes, and fuel.
Medicinal Uses: The bark was boiled and the infusion drank by the Cowlitz to remove worms.
Landscape Uses: Can be used to control erosion and stabilize streambanks.
Ecological Importance: Major provider of structure in certain wetlands such as the ash swales of Oregon.

Name Info: "ash" may derive from the Latin "ascia" meaning axe or "axis" meaning axle, since the wood of the European Ash is very tough and would have been used for such purposes.

Suggested References

Cooke, S.S. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwetern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society and Washington Native Plant Society. Page 3.
Guard, B.J. 1995. Wetland Plants of Oregon & Washington. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 213.
Gunther, E. 1973. 2nd ed. Ethnobotany of Western Washington. University of Washington Press. Page 45.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 375.
Link, R. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 248.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 99.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 50.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.