(Fraxinus pennsylvanica)

Family: Oleaceae

Description
Tree with dense, rounded or irregular crown of shiny green foliage. Height is 60 ft. (18 m). Diameter is 18 in. (0.5 m). Leaves opposite pinnately compound and 6–10 in. (15–25 cm) long with five to nine leaflets 2–5 in. (5–13 cm) long, and 1–1.5 in. (2.5–4 cm) wide. They are lance-shaped or ovate, coarsely saw-toothed or almost toothless; shiny green above, green or paler and slightly hairy beneath. They turn yellow in the autumn. Bark is gray and furrowed. Flowers are 0.25 in. (3 mm) long and greenish. They lack a corolla and are found in small clusters of many flowers each. Male and female flowers are found on separate trees. The fruit is 1.25–2.25 in. (3–6 cm) long, yellowish and hangs in small clusters.

Habitat
Moist alluvial soils along streams in floodplain forests. Non-native in New Mexico.

Discussion
This is the most widespread native ash in North America. It is one of the most successful hardwoods in the Great Plains shelterbelts. It is a hardy, fast-growing tree that is planted on spoil banks after strip mining, and is also a popular shade tree.