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Carolina ash Oleaceae Fraxinus caroliniana Mill. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: FRCA3
Leaf: Opposite, pinnately compound, 5 to 7 leaflets, leaflets 2 to 4 inches long with a usually serrated margin, leaf 5 to 10 inches long, dark green above, paler and smooth below.
Flower: Species is dioecious; in clusters, green to purple, appearing in spring.
Fruit: Broad-winged samara, 1 1/2 to 2 inches long, 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide, seed may be three-winged and the seed cavity is not distinct.
Twig: Moderate, smooth or may be somewhat fuzzy, gray-brown, opposite leaf scars oval with lateral bud only slightly set down into leaf scar.
Bark: Scaly, gray to slightly orange-brown, splotchy.
Form: Small tree up to 30 feet, 6 inches in diameter.
 Looks like: pumpkin ash - green ash

Carolina ash leaf image
Carolina ash flower image
Carolina ash fruit image
Carolina ash twig image
Carolina ash bark image
Carolina ash form image
Carolina ash map image

Additional Range Information: Fraxinus caroliniana is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database - USDAFS Forest Products Lab
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information