Fraxinus spaethiana - Ash

Fraxinus spaethiana is a very rare species in cultivation, also known as Spaeth Ash, originating from China and Japan. It forms a large tree, with a few rare specimens found as street trees in England, Denmark, and Sweden. Few ashes have more beautiful foliage than this one. Its large, beautifully pinnate leaves provide light and pleasant shade during the summer. It is a fairly hardy tree that thrives in bright exposures and deep, moisture-retaining soils.

Fraxinus spaethiana, also known as Broad-leaved Ash, is a tree in the olive family, just like the olive tree and lilac. It is native to mountainous regions between 1200 and 2800 metres in China (Gansu, Guizhou, Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan) and Japan (Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu), where it often dominates the riverside mountain forest habitat in which it is found. It forms a large tree that can reach 20 to 28 metres in height at maturity, with a straight trunk whose smooth bark is greenish-grey and darkens and cracks as it ages. The habit of this ash tree is initially pyramidal, rounding with age to become generally conical. It develops a vertical and fairly short, clear trunk topped with a round-shaped crown, quite closed when the tree is young, opening up with age. The deciduous leaves are arranged in pairs and measure 10 to 30 cm long with a petiole of 5 to 6 cm. They are composed of 7 to 11 sessile or nearly sessile, oblong to elliptical, slightly leathery leaflets. The edges are toothed and the leaves are veined. They are shiny and bright green with yellowish-green nuances at the beginning of summer. In autumn, they turn golden yellow for 3 to 5 weeks if not blown away by strong winds. They flower in spring, before the foliage appears, in the form of cream-white panicles. After pollination, they develop 2 to 4.5 cm long samaras.

The Spaeth Ash is a large tree, ideal for planting as a solitary specimen in a large garden or park, or as a street tree, where its foliage and elegant habit give it true ornamental qualities. It provides filtered shade, light and colour in front of dark hedges with other golden trees. Perfectly hardy and with limited requirements, it can tolerate any non-scorching exposure and adapts to any ordinary soil, including limestone, although its growth will be more significant in fertile, deep, and moist soil.