Trees of Wisconsin Fraxinus nigra Marshall black ash

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Family: Oleaceae
Fraxinus nigra is largely restricted to swamps. The sessile leaflets (no stalks) are characteristic and the tips of the leaflets tend to droop. If branches have good annual growth in length, the last pair of lateral buds tend to be clearly separated from the terminal bud. The bark of trees over about 3 inches in diameter is also often distinctive, although difficult to describe. In addition to its peculiar appearance, the irregularly shaped, narrow ridges of the bark are spongy under firm pressure of a thumb or finger. See paragraph 2 of the description of Fraxinus americana for the basic characters separating the Ash species.

Gary Fewless

Herbarium Curator, Cofrin Arboretum Botanist, Academic Staff, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, consulting botanist

Interests include endangered plants, native plant communities, invasive species, wetland communities and Wisconsin's vascular plants in general.