Blue Ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata)

A deciduous tree from the Olive Family (Oleaceae)

4-7
40'
80'
slow
full sun
part shade
narrow upright
to upright rounded
alkaline soils
adaptable
Blue Ash, present almost exclusively in the western half of Ohio, is the ash tree that is different in four respects from other Ashes found east of the Mississippi River.

First, it usually has square rather than round, young twigs that may be winged or corky. Second, its mature bark is usually scaly and platy rather than ridged and furrowed. Third, it does not have separate male and female trees, since all of its flowers are "perfect", and therefore every tree can yield fertile seeds under appropriate conditions. Fourth, the pioneers extracted a blue dye from its inner bark, giving it the common name of Blue Ash.

Like Green Ash and White Ash, the high-quality and slightly more dense wood of Blue Ash is harvested to make tool handles, furniture, and for use as firewood. However, its fall color is the poorest, being pale yellow to green in most years.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources