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Oregon ash

Fraxinus latifolia

Oregon ash
Photo: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT, CC BY 3.0
Family
Oleaceae (Olive family)
Grows as
Tree
Water
Likes moisture
Native range
SW. Canada (Vancouver I.) to California
Climate
temperate

About

Fraxinus latifolia, the Oregon ash, is a member of the ash genus Fraxinus, native to western North America.

Where it grows

Fraxinus latifolia is found on the west side of the Cascade Range from southwestern British Columbia south through western Washington, western Oregon, and northwestern California; and in central California in the Sierra Nevada.

Uses

The wood of Oregon ash compares favorably to the valuable lumber of eastern ashes, but it is seldom used for hardwood products because of its limited availability and distribution. The Cowlitz Indian Tribe used its wood for canoe paddles and digging sticks. Europeans, and later European Americans, have long preferred similar species of ash for comparable purposes such as tool handles and sports equipment. The light color of the wood is somewhat lustrous, hard, strong, stiff, high in shock resistance, flexible, workable with machines, and wears smooth with use. The commercial application of Oregon ash has been limited due to the much more abundant eastern ashes. The young and fast-growing wood of ash is more elastic and more favorable for handles and baseball bats because it has wider growth rings. The wood of old ash trees in general are valued for firewood due to their fine grain and brittleness. It is commonly used as an ornamental or shade tree within and beyond it native range of the Pacific Northwest because of its rapid growth rate, symmetrical shape, and hardiness.

Other Fraxinus plants

Texas Ash · White ash · Narrow-leafed Ash · Singleleaf ash · Fraxinus baroniana · Mexican ash · Northern Ash · Carolina ash · Jirisan Ash · Chinese ash · Fragrant ash · Wild Ash

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Fraxinus latifolia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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