Fraxinus quadrangulata
species of plant
Fraxinus quadrangulata, the blue ash, is a species of ash native primarily to the Midwestern United States from Oklahoma to Michigan, as well as the Bluegrass region of Kentucky and the Nashville Basin region of Tennessee. Isolated populations exist in Alabama, Southern Ontario, and small sections of the Appalachian Mountains. It is typically found over calcareous substrates such as limestone, growing on limestone slopes and in moist valley soils, at elevations of 120–600 m (390–1,970 ft).
Description
Blue ash is a medium sized deciduous tree typically reaching a height of 10–25 m (33–82 ft) with a trunk 50–100 cm (20–39 in) in diameter. The twigs typically have four corky ridges, a distinctive feature giving them a square appearance (in cross-section), hence the species name, quadrangulata, meaning four-angled. The winter buds are reddish-brown. The leaves are 20–38 cm (7.9–15.0 in) long, with 5–11 (most often 7) leaflets, the leaflets 7–13 cm (2.8–5.1 in) long and 2.5–5 cm (0.98–1.97 in) broad, with a coarsely serrated margin and short but distinct petiolules. The flowers are small and purplish, produced in the early spring before the leaves appear. The fruit is a samara 2.5–5 cm (0.98–1.97 in) long and 6–12 mm (0.24–0.47 in) broad, including the wing.
History and uses
The name blue ash is derived from the black dye extracted from the tree's inner bark through immersion in water.
The public source identifies “Fraxinus quadrangulata” as species of plant. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Fraxinus, quadrangulata and species.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q882296. The Library of Congress control number is sh2016000321. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Fraxinus quadrangulata” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.