Fragrant Ash
Fraxinus cuspidata
Summary 5
Fraxinus cuspidata, commonly know as fragrant ash, is a tree or shrub species of ash in the Oleaceae family. Fragrant ash is native to New Mexico.
Botanical Information 6
Fragrant ash in the Oleaceae, or Olive family. They can grow up to 20 feet tall and have narrow sweetly scented white flowers that can be about 3 inches long. The flowers bloom around May and June and around the same time the smooth dark green leaves start to appear. The fruit is a long, flat samara (dry winged nut containing one seed) that grows in bunches.
Ecological Information 5
Fragrant ash likes to grow in dry sandy to clay soil conditions in partial and full sun. They use low water and are cold tolerant. Swallowtail butterflies and caterpillars use the fragrant ash leaves as food and the emerald ash borer can kill the tree by feeding on the inner tree and bark. Birds also will eat the seeds.
Ethnobotanical Information 7
Research from the Native American Ethnobotany Database documents that fragrant ash has been used to make hunting bows, arrows, and weaving tools by the Ramah Navajo Community. (Note: Ethnobotanical reports often lack important contextual information and relevant traditional ecological knowledge.)
References 5
Aggie Horticulture Network. (n.d.). Fraxinus cuspidate. Aggie Horticulture. Retrieved August 16, 2021, from https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/natives/FRAXINUSCUSPIDATA.HTM
Michigan State University, USDA Forest Service. (n.d). Emerald Ash Borer Information Network. Retrieved August 18, 2021, from http://www.emeraldashborer.info/index.php
Native American Ethnobotany Database. (n.d.). Fraxinus cuspidata.
Retrieved August 17, 2021, from http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=Fraxinus+cuspidata
United States Department of Agriculture. (2014). Fraxinus cuspidate. In
PLANTS Database. Retrieved August 17, 2021, from https://plants.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=FRCU
University of Texas. (n.d). Fraxinus cuspidate. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Retrieved August 16, 2021, from https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=FRCU
About the Author 5
Student authors*: Elisa (age 13) and Ayla (age 14) from Albuquerque Sign Language Academy
*The entries in this field guide have been edited by Yerba Mansa Project staff to ensure that they contain quality, fact-checked content and standardized formatting. https://yerbamansaproject.org/
Sources and Credits
- (c) Zona Sujeta a Conservación Ecológica Sierra de Zapalinamé, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Zona Sujeta a Conservación Ecológica Sierra de Zapalinamé
- (c) tomdiamond, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
- (c) wingedchimera, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by wingedchimera
- (c) Sara Ayers, all rights reserved, uploaded by Sara Ayers
- Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
- Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraxinus_cuspidata
- Adapted by Kiley Spurlock from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- BOLD Systems BIN search
- eFloras.org
- Flora of North America (beta)
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
- IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
- SEINet Symbiota portals
- Tropicos
- USDA PLANTS database
- World Flora Online
iNat Map
| Type | tree |
|---|---|
| Flower | white |
| Life cycle | perennial |
| Native | yes |
| Uses | Tool Building |
