Blue Ash

The Blue Ash is a medium-sized tree with a maximum height of 50-80 ft. and a diameter of 1-2 feet. The branches form a narrow crown and have 4 angled branchlets coming off of them. On each branch there are usually 7 leaves stemming off. Each leaf is dark orange and egg shaped with soft red hairs. The leaf is 3-5 inches long. They turn pale-yellow in autumn. Flowers form on the leaves in late September and October. The bark is scaly, light gray and 1/2 in. thick. A liquid comes from the tree and is blue when it hits the air. That is part of the reason it is called the Blue Ash. The Blue Ash has a pretty big growing range. It grows in the areas of southern Ontario, southern Michigan, Illinois, and Missouri to southeastern Kansas. They also live in southeastern Arkansas, Ohio and the southwestern part of West Virginia through Kentucky and Tennessee to northern Alabama and northern Mississippi. They are located mostly in hardwood forests. Blue Ashes also grow in dry soils and in dry uplands. The Blue Ash in Blair Park is one of only 3 found in Urbana.