# What kind of Ash tree?



## VA Susan (Mar 2, 2010)

Any ideas about what kind of Ash tree this is? It's a tall tree and has no low limbs. It is growing by our creek. This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago. The pods are brownish-purple. I can get a picture of the bark if that would help.


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

Ash trees give me fits. The first time I saw an ash tree they were planted along the street where I lived in Boston. They were not doing very well, and I couldn't figure out what they were. Finally, one day I saw the city Horticulturist out on the street and made a point of asking one what these trees were. I was very disappointed when he told me it was a hickory. I knew that wasn't so, as the twigs were pithy. I finally got a book and found it was an ash, but never could pin down the variety. Going by the seeds, I would guess Green Ash, or White Ash. How many leaflets are on a leaf?


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## Ky gal (Sep 29, 2003)

Looking through my tree book, I'm going to suggest a Red Ash. It says the Red Ash is a swamp or stream-bank tree. The best feature of identification is the wool or velvet that more or less covers the new twigs, the framework of the leaf, and the undersurface of the leaflets.


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## VA Susan (Mar 2, 2010)

Thanks for the suggestions, KY gal and vicker. The leaves are up too high to see them and there're no lower branches so I don't know what they look like. I was fortunate that some seeds had fallen to the ground. I'll try to remember to check under the tree after a storm. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a branch for more pictures. I've seen very few of these around with the reddish seed pods.


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## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

that's box elder. some call it box ash.nt


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

If you want to get a look at the leaves, take a heavy fishing weight, put it on a long piece of string, then see if you can throw it high enough to get it to go over a small branch. Then, try to pull that off. 

W/out seeing more of the tree, I can't say for sure what it is. But, I don't believe it's box elder. Box elder has a seed pod like a maple, and is in the maple family. But w/where you are, my guess would be either white ash (Fraxinus americana), or red (green) ash (Fraxinus pennslyvanica).


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## northeastcallin (Mar 11, 2013)

Agreed, I'd go with white or green


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