Fragrant Ash
Fraxinus cuspidata
Family: Oleaceae
CHARACTERISTICS
Deciduous shrubs or trees reaching 10-20’ rarely to 40’. Flowers opening in spring as leaves unfurl, and are white and fragrant with large petals. The following fruit is a samara (helicopter-like fruit).
LANDSCAPE USE
Screening shrub or small tree.
GROWING CONDITIONS
AN EXPLANAITION OF TERMS USED
SUN full to part sun, in the low desert afternoon shade in the winter is probably a good idea
WATER in the low desert, regular water, in the higher elevations, moderate
SOIL well-drained improved soil is preferred
BASIN plant in the bottom to middle
CONTAINER does moderately ok in a container but will not attain full size
HARDINESS hardy to 5°F
FEEDING moderate to low
ECOLOGY
This plant is a larval host plant of the two-tailed swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata multicaudata). The intensely fragrant flowers provide nectar to many insects. Seeds used by granivorous birds.
ETHNOBOTANY
Unknown
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Native from Arizona to Texas in hillsides, canyons, and slopes, 4000-7500’.
TAXONOMY AND NAME
This plant is in the Oleaceae, the olive family. There are 63 species of Fraxinus widespread throughout much of Europe, Asia, and North America..
Fraxinus is the classical Latin name for the genus, and the specific epithet, cuspidata, means having a cusp, tip or point; cusped, pointed, referring to the leaves.
A tree in full bloom, photo by Alan Rockefeller, iNaturalist
You can practically smell this photo. Flowers are extremely aromatic and pleasant. Photo by Joey Santore, iNaturalist
Fruits are samaras, and occur on female plants. Photo by Carlos G Velazco-Macias, iNaturalist