White Ash, Fraxinus americana L.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: Leaves once-pinnately compound, opposite, 8 to 12 inches long; leaflets 5 to 9 in number (usually 7), ovate lanceolate to oval, 2 to 6 inches long with stalks 3/16 to 1/2 inch long; margins entire or obscurely toothed (rarely with conspicuous teeth); upper surface dark green and sometimes glossy, lower surface light green or very pale, glabrous. Winter twigs moderate in diameter, gray or brown, glabrous; leaf scars small, half-round to nearly round, with conspicuous V-shaped notch in the top, bundle scars numerous and very close together, forming a fine curved line. Buds and flowers similar to green ash. Fruit a paddle-shaped samara 1 to 2 inches long, often persisting into winter; wing not extending along seed cavity. Bark similar to green ash.
SIMILAR TREES: Green and black ash have shorter-stalked or unstalked leaflets with finely toothed margins.
IOWA DISTRIBUTION: Native as far west as the Cedar River in northern Iowa, the Des Moines River and its principal tributaries in the central part of the state, and the Missouri River in southern Iowa. Planted throughout the state.
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