''Fraxinus albicans'', commonly called the Texas ash, is a species of tree in the olive family (

Oleaceae Oleaceae, also known as the olive family, is a taxonomic family of flowering shrubs, trees, and a few lianas in the order Lamiales, It presently comprises 28 genera, one of which is recently extinct.Peter S. Green. 2004. "Oleaceae". pages 2 ...

). It is native to North America, where it is found from eastern

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and southern

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

in the United States, to the state of Durango in Mexico. Its natural habitat is in dry, rocky slopes, often over limestone.''Fraxinus texensis''
Oklahoma Biological Survey

Description

It is a small

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

growing to 10 m tall, with a trunk up to 30 cm diameter. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are 13–20 cm long, pinnately compound with usually five rounded leaflets 3–7.5 cm long and 2–5 cm broad. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s 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 In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is a samara 1.5–3 cm long, with an apical wing. It is long-lived and drought tolerant. Like other species in the section ''Melioides'', ''Fraxinus albicans'' is dioecious, with male and female flowers produced on separate individuals.

Taxonomy

''Fraxinus albicans'' is closely related to ''

Fraxinus americana ''Fraxinus americana'', the white ash or American ash, is a species of ''ash tree'' native to eastern and central North America. The species is native to mesophytic hardwood forests from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota, south to northern Florida, ...

'' (white ash), and is sometimes treated as a

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

of it. 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.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q22112239, from2=Q5494017 albicans Flora of Oklahoma Flora of Texas Dioecious plants Flora without expected TNC conservation status