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Fraxinus ornus Mecsek - Manna ash

Fraxinus ornus Meczek
Manna ash

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More information

A variety of grafted flowering ash tree with a beautiful rounded crown. An adult specimen will measure between 4 and 5 m in height, depending on the height of the rootstock. It has large deciduous leaves divided into bright green leaflets, which take on beautiful colours in autumn. Its flowering period in May-June consists of creamy white panicles, which are fragrant and attractive to bees. Ideal as a shade tree in a small garden, this small tree tolerates summer drought and limestone soils well.
Flower size
15 cm
Height at maturity
4.50 m
Spread at maturity
3.50 m
Exposure
Sun
Hardiness
Hardy down to -18°C
Soil moisture
Dry soil, Moist soil
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Best planting time March, October
Recommended planting time January to March, October to December
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Flowering time May
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Description

Fraxinus ornus 'Mecsek' is a Flowering Ash or Manna Ash grafted on a stem, interesting for its small size and its "ball" crown. Desirable characteristics for decorating a small garden. Often used in rows, this small deciduous tree also offers honey-scented spring flowering and beautiful autumn colours. Resistant to cold and drought, comfortable in limestone soils, this ash tree is easy to grow. It is particularly suitable for Mediterranean climates.

The Flowering Ash, also known as Manne Ash or European Manna Ash, is a tree from the olive family, just like the olive tree and lilac. It is native to southern Europe and western Asia. Its habitat is arid limestone hills. Its cream-white flowering is fragrant and nectar-rich.
The cultivar 'Mecsek' was discovered in 1980 in the Mecsek mountain range in Hungary. The tree has a taller or shorter grafting stock that will become its trunk. It is covered with a smooth, grey bark that becomes anthracite grey over time. Its grafted crown is almost spherical, slightly flattened. Eventually, it can reach a span of 3 to 4 metres. The deciduous foliage consists of leaves measuring 20 to 30 cm long, composed of 5 to 9 leaflets, each measuring 5 to 10 cm long and 2 to 4 cm wide. These fairly dark green and slightly glossy leaflets have a finely toothed and wavy edge. Depending on the climate, they turn yellow or even orange, pinkish-purple in autumn. The large buds of the flowering ash are dark and ashy in colour. Flowering occurs in May, at the tips of the branches, on the foliage. It takes the form of upright, feathery, well-filled, fragrant panicles measuring 10 to 20 cm long. Each flower, which does not exceed 5-6 mm in length, has 4 cream-white petals. This variety bears little fruit. After pollination, a few clusters of fruits called samaras measuring 2 to 4.5 cm long are formed. Their colour varies from coppery red to light brown and provides an additional ornamentation at the end of the season.

The name "manna ash" comes from the fact that the sweet and syrupy sap of this tree can be harvested after cutting the bark. Called "apothecary's manna," it is still used in herbal medicine for its purgative and diuretic properties.

The 'Mecsek' flowering ash is a small tree with a clean appearance that thrives with very little care. As a solitary specimen, its "ball" shape and fragrant spring flowering make it an ornamental subject. This small tree will find its place in gardens of all sizes, especially as a shade tree near a terrace. Two trees can also be planted to frame the entrance of the garden or placed in the centre of a rounded flower bed. In this use, spring bulbs, ground cover roses, or lavender, for example, can be planted at its base.

Fraxinus ornus Mecsek - Manna ash in pictures

Fraxinus ornus Mecsek - Manna ash (Plant habit) Plant habit

Plant habit

Height at maturity 4.50 m
Spread at maturity 3.50 m
Habit ball, spherical
Growth rate normal

Flowering

Flower colour white
Flowering time May
Inflorescence Thyrse
Flower size 15 cm
Fragrance Fragrant
Bee-friendly Attracts pollinators
Fruit colour green

Foliage

Foliage persistence Deciduous
Foliage colour medium green

Botanical data

Genus

Fraxinus

Species

ornus

Cultivar

Meczek

Family

Oleaceae

Other common names

Manna ash

Origin

Eastern Europe

Other Fraxinus - Ash tree

  1. 2
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  2. 4
    From €55.00 7.5L/10L pot

  3. 1
    €75.00 7.5L/10L pot

  4. 2
    From €55.00 7.5L/10L pot

  5. 5
    -30% €45.50 €65.00 7.5L/10L pot

  6. Available to order
    €6.50 Bare root

  7. 4
    From €55.00 7.5L/10L pot

  8. 3
    €75.00 7.5L/10L pot

Planting and care

Plant your Fraxinus ornus 'Mecsek' in autumn or early spring, choose an open location in full sun, and keep in mind the space it will take up in the long term. In the south, some afternoon shade is tolerated. If necessary, create a drainage pit with rocks if your soil is very clayey and suffocating. If your soil is very poor, a generous addition of leaf compost will be beneficial. Maintain regular watering during the summer following planting and make sure to protect it from prolonged droughts for another year, mulching can help keep the base moist and space out watering. Once well established, this ash tree is resistant to summer drought. It is resistant to frost and wind, tolerates salt spray, and adapts well to limestone soils. Pruning is well tolerated in winter.

This is one of the species of ash tree most resistant to ash dieback (Chalara fraxinea), a fungal disease that causes these trees to wither.

Planting period

Best planting time March, October
Recommended planting time January to March, October to December

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow
Type of use Free-standing
Hardiness Hardy down to -18°C (USDA zone 7a) Show map
Ease of cultivation Beginner
Planting density 1 per m2
Planting spacing Every 250 cm
Exposure Sun
Soil pH Any
Soil type Chalky (poor, alkaline and well-drained), Clayey-chalky (heavy and alkaline), Silty-loamy (rich and light), Stony (poor and well-drained)
Soil moisture Dry soil, Moist soil, Standard, well-prepared

Care

Pruning instructions You can prune during winter after the leaves have fallen or in late spring-early summer when the bud burst period is completed and the last frosts are finished.
Pruning Pruning recommended once a year
Pruning time June, November to December
Soil moisture Dry soil, Moist soil
Disease resistance Very good
Overwinter Can be left in the ground

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