Plant Name
Scientific Name: Fraxinus velutina
Synonym: Fraxinus pennsylvanica ssp. velutina
Common Name: Velvet Ash
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial, Deciduous
Growth Habit: Tree
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Riparian. This tree grows in and along washes with underground water and in moist canyons in the desert, the uplands, and to around 7000 feet (2134 m) in the mountains.
Flower Color: Inconspicuous (greenish female flowers and yellow male flowers)
Flowering Season: Spring
Height: To 40 feet (12.2 m) tall
Description: These trees are dioecious. The small female flowers are followed by one-seeded, winged achenes (samaras) that are shaped like canoe paddles. The leaves are green and pinnately compound with usually 5 to 7 lanceolate leaflets. The young leaves are velvety. The leaves turn a bright golden yellow color in the fall. The bark is light gray and rough-textured.
This is the most common Ash (Fraxinus spp.) found here.
Special Characteristics
Allergenic – The flowers are a severe allergen.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Scrophulariales
Family: Oleaceae – Olive family
Genus: Fraxinus L. – ash
Species: Fraxinus velutina Torr. – velvet ash
More About This Plant