Velvet Ash
Fraxinus velutina
Family: Oleaceae
OTHER COMMON NAMES
Arizona ash
Spanish: fresno
CHARACTERISTICS
Medium, deciduous, riparian tree, 25-40’. Plants are dioecious (separate male and female plants) and bloom in spring with inconspicuous flowers. The female flowers are followed by samaras (dry, winged, single-seeded fruits). There are numerous horticultural varieties.
LANDSCAPE USE
Medium landscape tree.
GROWING CONDITIONS
AN EXPLANAITION OF TERMS USED
SUN full to part sun
WATER riparian tree, regular water, this tree is often underwatered in Arizona landscapes
SOIL not picky, but prefers sandy soil
BASIN bottom
CONTAINER does ok in a container but will not attain its full size
HARDINESS hardy to -10°F
Photo of Fraxinus velutina in fall color by Lupita Amancio, iNaturalist
ECOLOGY
Nectar-rich flowers for butterflies and bees, seeds for granivorous birds, larval food plant for the two-tailed swallowtail butterfly (Papilio multicaudata).
ETHNOBOTANY
In local areas the wood is used to manufacture handles of axes and other utilitarian needs.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Found in moist soils, along streams and riparian areas, from 3,000-7,000 ft. in southern and central California, southern Nevada, southern Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, southern Texas; south into central Mexico.
TAXONOMY AND NAME
This plant is in the Oleaceae, the olive family. There are 63 species of Fraxinus.
Fraxinus is the classical Latin name for Ash trees, while the species name, velutina, refers to the minute hairs on the leaves (best seen with a lens).
Because of the single-trunk nature of velvet mesquite, it is often in commercial plantings (though they require more water than most native plants). Photo by lpigford, iNaturalist
Velvet ash very naturally forms a single trunk, unlike many of our native species that naturally have multiple trunks. Photo by Christian Schwarz, iNaturalist
Fall color can be incredibly brilliant, photo by Jim Boone, iNaturalist
Seeds are samaras. Photo by T.L.Knight, iNaturalist
Flowers are tiny, occur in spring, and plants are dioecious (sepatate male and female plants). Photo by Sue Carnahan, SEINET