Vascular Plants of the Gila Wilderness

Presented in Association with the
Western New Mexico University Department of Natural Sciences

Fraxinus velutina Torrey
(Velvet Ash)


Family: Oleaceae

Status: Native

Synonyms:
Fraxinus attenuata M.E. Jones
Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall subsp. velutina (Torrey) G.N. Miller
Fraxinus velutina Torrey var. glabra (Thornber) Rehder
Fraxinus velutina Torrey var. toumeyi (Britton) Rehder

Fraxinus velutina is a tree which can reach large proportions when it grows in canyons with sufficient underground water. The leaves are compound with three to five ovate leaflets. The leaflets are densely hairy when young. The elongate flowers are found in drooping panicles without a corolla. The fruit is winged-- it is called a "samara."
Please click on an image for a larger file.



Fraxinus velutina, photo Russ Kleinman, Burro Mtns., Knight Canyon, May 9, 2007



Fraxinus velutina, bark, photo Russ Kleinman, Burro Mtns., Knight Canyon, Oct. 28, 2008



Fraxinus velutina, autumn color, photo Russ Kleinman, Burro Mtns., Knight Canyon, Oct. 28, 2008



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