Fraxinus albicans

Fraxinus albicans, commonly called the Texas ash,[1] is a species of tree in the olive family (Oleaceae). It is native to North America, where it is found from eastern Texas and southern Oklahoma in the United States, to the state of Durango in Mexico.[2][3] Its natural habitat is in dry, rocky slopes, often over limestone.[4]

Fraxinus albicans
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Oleaceae
Genus: Fraxinus
Section: Fraxinus sect. Melioides
Species:
F. albicans
Binomial name
Fraxinus albicans
Natural range of Fraxinus albicans
Close-up of natural range of Fraxinus albicans
Synonyms
  • Fraxinus americana var. texensis A. Gray (1878)
  • Fraxinus americana subsp. texensis (A. Gray) G.N. Mill.
  • Fraxinus texensis (A. Gray) Sarg.

Description

It is a small deciduous tree growing to 10 m tall, with a trunk up to 30 cm diameter. The leaves are 13–20 cm long, pinnately compound with usually five rounded leaflets 3–7.5 cm long and 2–5 cm broad. The flowers are purple, produced in small clusters in early spring; like all ashes, the Texas ash is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate trees. The fruit is a samara 1.5–3 cm long, with an apical wing. It is long-lived and drought tolerant.[4]

Taxonomy

Fraxinus albicans is closely related to Fraxinus americana (white ash), and is sometimes treated as a variety of it.[5][4] Where they co-occur, Fraxinus albicans is found in dry habitats while Fraxinus americana is found in mesic bottoms. Fraxinus albicans can be morphologically distinguished by its smaller leaves, smaller and more rounded leaflets, and smaller samaras.[6]

References
  1. "Fraxinus albicans". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  2. "Fraxinus albicans". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  3. Fraxinus albicans Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Society
  4. Fraxinus texensis Oklahoma Biological Survey
  5. "Fraxinus albicans". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  6. Nesom, Guy (2010). "Observations on Fraxinus albicans Buckley (Oleaceae), the correct botanical name for Texas ash" (PDF). Phytoneuron. 2010 (33). Retrieved 17 February 2018.
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