How do you recognise Common ash (Fraxinus excelsior)?

Leaf

Michel Pansiot, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Common ash

Fraxinus excelsior L.

Also known as: European ash

Family: Oleaceae

25 to 35 m tall

Cool, fertile soils, often along watercourses

Flowering: April, before the leaves

Part shade

Full sun

-30°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Black buds, clearly visible in winter — an immediate clue. The common ash has opposite, lanceolate, toothed leaflets, without the double-winged fruits typical of maples; the box elder, despite its almost identical compound leaves, is recognised by its opposite green buds and its samaras winged in pairs.

🍃 Leaves

Compound, 9 to 13 toothed leaflets

🌸 Flowers

Small, petal-less, in dense clusters

🍎 Fruits

Elongated samaras in bunches persisting through winter

🪵 Bark

Grey, smooth then finely fissured

🗺️ Distribution

Europe; very common in France, notably in lowlands and along watercourses

🐝 Value for pollinators

Early petal-less flowering, not very attractive to pollinators, mostly wind-pollinated

✂️ Horticultural uses

Planted in avenues, in rural hedges or managed in forestry for its flexible timber

⚠️ Possible toxicity

No known toxicity

⚠️ Look-alike species

Common ash

Fraxinus excelsior

Box elder

Acer negundo

The common ash has opposite, lanceolate, toothed leaflets, without the double-winged fruits typical of maples; the box elder, despite its almost identical compound leaves, is recognised by its opposite green buds and its samaras winged in pairs.

Common ash

Fraxinus excelsior

Manna ash

Fraxinus ornus

The common ash has petal-less, inconspicuous flowers and larger leaflets, whereas the manna ash has small, clearly visible scented white flowers and smaller leaflets.

🌿 Other Oleaceae to discover

Manna ash

Fraxinus ornus

Forsythia

Forsythia x intermedia

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.