Fraxinus excelsior
- Height: up to 30 m, occasionally up to 40 m
- Trunk: long, straight trunk; bark grey to olive-green when young, finely and shallowly furrowed when mature
- Crown: open, high-arched, and irregularly shaped
- Leaves: opposite, imparipinnate leaves 20–30 cm long with 9–15 oval-lanceolate, pointed leaflets (each approx. 4–10 cm long), serrated at the margins, dull green upper side, lighter underneath
- Buds: deep black, felt-like winter buds; pointed-pyramidal terminal buds
- Flowers: greenish, upright panicles; dark red-purple anthers in April/May before leaf emergence
- Fruits/Seeds: light brown, winged nuts, approx. 3–4 cm long, hanging in clusters, also over winter
- Other: Common disease: ash dieback, recognizable by dying branches, starting in the crown
Photos: Wolfgang Schödel (1), Sonja Kreil (2), BUND Naturschutz in Bayern (3)