Fraxinus angustfolia

Preferred Conditions: It tolerates a wide range of conditions, including drought and poor soils of low nutrient levels.

In my experience this type of tree seems to be tolerant of severe pruning and even lopping; showing no adverse responses in the long-term. Appearing to compartmentalize well to prevent fungal decay from spreading.

Useful Life Expectancy (ULE): Medium, 100years+ in its native range.

Significance: This tree dominates this part of the street scape, providing excellent shade in the street. In Stead St, on corner with Edols Street.

Flowering Characteristics: Male and female flowers held on the same tree, they appear prior to leaves emerging in June in Melbourne. Fruit quickly develop, it is a samara, green in colour, ripening to a dull brown colour in summer. Its seeds are carried and spread on the wind

Features: Foliage leaves are compound, arranged opposite on stems, green in colour; autumn colour is yellow and short. Leaf Buds are a dull brown colour. The pinnate leaves can have from 3-13 leaflets and be up to 15cm long; leaflets are slender and toothed Bark is dark grey, smooth when the tree is young and on smaller branches; becoming knobby and fissured with age.

Points of Interest: Excellent shade tree, growing in difficult position.

Wood is white to cream in colour; it seems to be resistant to rapid fungal decay in Australian conditions. It is hard and straight grained, mostly used for tool handles as it does not splinter. It makes good fire wood and burns away to nothing, while providing good heat.