Oregon Ash
Fraxinus latifolia
The oregon ash is a medium-sized tree that can grow 60-80 feet tall, though typically larger in the northern part of its range. When growing in thickets, the tree is narrow-crowned and straight, trunked, but in the open the crown is broader. The smooth bark of the slender trunk is deep gray brown, which develops deep fissures as it ages. The light green leaves are pinnately compounded, growing in opposite pairs from a central stem with a single leaf at tip. Each stem has 5-9 leaves, though most commonly 7. The downy leaves are a rounded elliptical shape that tapers to a point, and are 12-33 cm long and 3-4 cm wide. The small, unnoticeable whitish-green flowers bloom from direct panicles — long stems surrounded by dense clusters of flowers. The fruit, a samara, is produced in clusters, akin to that produced on the big-leaf maple.
Basic Information
Member of the Oleaceae, or olive, family
Winter deciduous
Can live up to 250 years, but the typical lifespan is about 150 years
Fast-growing when young, but growth slows as it ages
For the first 60 years, trees grow rapidly, especially when getting lots of water
Habitat
Native to southwestern British Columbia south through coastal Washington, Oregon, and northwestern California
In California, the tree grows along the northern coast, down to the Peninsula, and in the Sierra Nevada in central California
only ash native to the Northwest
Commonly found in moist riparian areas, along stream sides, riverbanks, and wetlands
Ecological Role
Host plant for the larva of the Pale Swallowtail, Two-tailed Swallowtail, and Western Tiger Swallowtail butterflies
Reproduction
Blooms from April-May
Dioecious — the male and female reproductive organs are on separate specimen
Historical Uses
The wood was widely used by Native Americans for:
Canoe paddles, digging sticks, tools, pipes and canes
An infusion of the twigs for fevers by the the Ohlone and for worms by the Cowlitz
The Ohlone placed the leaves in sandals as a snake repellent
The Yokia applied the mashed root to wounds to promote healing
Additional Information
Wood is used for furniture, flooring, millwork, paneling, boxes, and fuel
There is an old superstition in the Northwest that poisonous snakes are unknown where this ash grows, and that rattlesnakes will not slither over a branch or stick from the tree
