Fraxinus dipetala

Common Name:
Flowering ash
Plant Type:
Deciduous shrub
Family:
Oleaceae (The Olive Family)
Geographic Origin:
California
California Native?:
Yes

Plant Size:
To 15 feet high and wide
Landscape/Garden Uses:
Mixed plantings
Flowering Season:
Spring

Flower Color:
White
Exposure:
Full sun
Soils:
Most soils

Suggested Irrigation:
Moderate to occasional watering
Estimated Hardiness:
Hardy to 10 degrees F. or less

In the interior hills of California, one finds many plants which seem to hover at the borderline between tree and shrub. This is one such plant, related to many substantial street and shade trees in cultivation. It can grow up to 20 feet high but is often much less. The trunks are sturdy and usually upright, with upcurved to spreading branches and attractive smooth bark. Three- to seven-parted leaves with bright green, shiny leaflets up to 3 inches long are paired along the stems. Its most remarkable feature is its lacy panicles of small, glistening white flowers. These are followed by winged fruits resembling those of the maples, each about an inch long and decorative until they shatter in late fall. This is an attractive shrub-tree for individual display or use in group plantings with other dryland natives. Sun, most soils, moderate to only occasional summer watering. Hardy to 10 degrees F. or less.