Shumard Oak
Quercus shumardii Large tree Zones 5–9 50–80 ft
Shares rich moist slopes, stream banks, dry uplands and floodplain forests in the wild.
A native we do not grow
White Ash
Fraxinus americana. Large tree, 50 to 120 feet, zones 3 to 9; full sun, part shade or shade; dry, average or wet ground.
We do not grow white ash, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Other names | American ash, Biltmore ash, Biltmore white ash, cane ash, smallseed white ash, Canadian ash |
|---|---|
| Form | Large tree |
| Height, feet | 50 to 120 |
| Spread, feet | Up to 80 |
| Zones | 3 to 9 |
| Sun | Full sun, part shade or shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry, average or wet ground |
| Growth | Medium |
| Leaves | Deciduous |
| Traits | Fall color |
| Flowers | April to May |
| Fruit | Samaras, September to December |
| First crop | 20 years |
| Pollination | Separate male and female trees. Male and female flowers grow on separate trees, so a female tree bears seed only with a male nearby. |
| Lifespan | Lives up to 300 years, and the oldest dated one reached 198. Only a tiny share of trees has ever been ring-counted or cross-dated. |
| Transplanting | The Morton Arboretum's page on white ash marks it as one that transplants well. |
| Black walnut | Not named on the Morton Arboretum's lists |
| Ground | Rich moist slopes, stream banks, dry uplands and floodplain forests |
| Native in | 35 states and the District of Columbia |
White ash is native in 35 states and the District of Columbia: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from Silvics of North America and NatureServe Explorer. The USDA PLANTS Database also records it growing wild beyond that range in Colorado, where it is naturalized, not native, and as introduced in Hawaii.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it flowers and fruits, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place How many to plant for a crop of seed Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its trunk How a big one scores against the champion trees
For the same ground, we grow
These trees we grow share the most of white ash's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Slippery Elm
Ulmus rubra Medium tree Zones 3–9 40–70 ft
Shares rich moist slopes, stream banks, dry uplands and floodplain forests in the wild.
Common Hackberry
Celtis occidentalis Large tree Zones 3–9 40–60 ft
Shares stream banks, dry uplands and floodplain forests in the wild.
Black Maple
Acer nigrum Large tree Zones 3–8 60–75 ft
Shares rich moist slopes, stream banks and floodplain forests in the wild.
Cedar Elm
Ulmus crassifolia Large tree Zones 6–9 50–70 ft
Shares stream banks, dry uplands and floodplain forests in the wild.
Rock Elm
Ulmus thomasii Large tree Zones 2–9 70–90 ft
Shares rich moist slopes, stream banks and dry uplands in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from Silvics of North America, NC State Extension, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Morton Arboretum, the Wildflower Center, the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, Iowa State University Extension, the USDA PLANTS Database, the US Forest Service, Virginia Tech's dendrology site and UF/IFAS Extension.