Ash
Ash
Tree
A tall, airy woodland tree known for its jet-black winter buds and bunches of winged 'keys' that spin to the ground like tiny helicopters.
💡 Fun Facts
- In winter you can name an ash tree by its buds — they are jet black, like little blobs of velvet on the twigs.
- Its seeds grow in bunches called 'keys', each with a long wing that spins like a helicopter as it falls.
- Ash is almost always the last tree to grow its leaves in spring and one of the first to drop them in autumn.
📅 Through the Year
- Leaf-out:May
- Flowering:April to May
- Fruiting:September to October
- Leaf fall:October
Name Story
Fraxinus excelsior
means “the taller, loftier ash”
What does its name mean?
- Fraxinus — ash treeLatin — the old Roman name for the ash
- excelsior — taller, loftier (literally 'higher')Latin excelsus, 'lofty'
The ash's Latin name means 'the taller one' — and it is well earned. The ash is one of the tallest trees in a British wood, sending a straight, pale trunk high up to reach the light.