| General Description | An elegant woodland tree known for its evenly fissured greyish-white bark. Its tough, elastic wood is used for manufacturing Louisville Slugger baseball bats and other sporting goods. |
| ID Characteristic | Opposite, pinnately compound leaves, female plants have paddle-shaped fruit. The bark has a diamond-shaped ridge pattern.
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| Shape | Upright, oval. |
| Landscape | Used in parks and other large areas. |
| Propagation | Seeds germinate best with warm stratification at 20-30°C for 30 days followed by cold at 5°C for 60 days. Stored seed remains viable for about 2-3 years in seed banks. |
| Cultivation | Moist, well drained soil in full sun. Is slightly drought tolerant, best if protected from strong winds. |
| Pests | Possible problems include: leaf spot, rust, cankers, carpenter worm, lilac borer, fall webworm, ash flower gall and brown-headed ash sawfly. Emerald Ash Borer is a major problem in its range and has caused the species to be 'Red Listed'. May be susceptible to ash dieback (Charlara fraxinea). |
| Notable Specimens | The Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, Ontario, Canada. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Ash grey to grey-brown. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | A terminal bud with 2-3 pairs pairs of scales, semi-spherical to broadly ovate and rusty to dark brown in colour. |
| Leaf Description | Pinnately compound, opposite leaves 20-60 cm long. Rounded or tapered at the base, usually entire or serrate near the apex. Dark green and glabrous above and glaucous beneath. |
| Flower Description | Dioecious, usually unisexual, apetalous, calyx minute, corolla absent, green to purple in colour. |
| Fruit Description | Samara, 2.5-5 cm long and is of no ornamental quality; its shape resembles a canoe paddle. |
| Colour Description | Leaves are dark green above and paler beneath in summer changing to yellow to deep purple in autumn. Quite spectacular in autumn colour. |
| Texture Description | Medium in leaf, medium-coarse in winter. |
