Another tree ID

[SawdustSA]

I have this tree in my garden. I am not planning on cutting it down, not just yet anyway..

I don't believe it is indigenous to South Africa so I was hoping someone might recognize it.

 

[barmstrong2]

My first thought was elm of some type, but, the color of the leaves is not quite right. They're too dark. The bark and shape of the leaves looks like elm. Being in Africa, who knows. I don't know if elm is native to your geography. I'm sure there are species of trees that many of us have never heard of.

 

[Firefighter938]

Kind of looks like an ash. Compound leaves, alternate branching.

 

[SawdustSA]

I have a Chinese Elm right next to this tree which has much smaller leaves. I am not familiar with all the Elm species. I know there was another Ash tree on the property which fell over during a storm some years ago before I bought the property.

EDIT: looking at Ash tree images on Google, this seems possible.

 

[Oldman47]

Yard tree so it might be native to almost anywhere. My first thought was ash but the bark just doesn't look right.

 

[Firefighter938]

Kind of looks like an ash. Compound leaves, alternate branching.

This should read OPPOSITE branching.

 

[CincyBurner]

Opposite branch habit. Leaves and bark look like green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica). Perhaps a cultivar ? like Marshall Seedless ?
Do you have american Fraxinus growing or commonly planted in S.A. ?

 

[D8Chumley]

Kind of looks like an ash. Compound leaves, alternate branching.

That was my first thought, although I'm no expert. I do have a lot of ash here though

 

[Pennsyltucky Chris]

It definitely looks like an Ash of some sort.

 

[Applesister]

It definitely looks like an Ash, and a really healthy looking tree.
Try looking up Blue or Black Ash.. they have narrower leaflets and more of them. Black Ash loves water though, do you have moist soil?
Seems like kind of a dumb question but I know south Africa is kind of jungly.
Ash, I think, take like 40 years to produce seeds so maybe its still a baby.

 

[SawdustSA]

It doesn't produce any seeds yet. The ground in the area is fairly rocky but the soil is otherwise of good quality. The tree is well protected between buildings, so the moisture levels in the soil is pretty good there.

We are currently in a major drought period here in South Africa, so rainfall has been scarce the last few months.

Ash trees are not common here unless planted as a yard tree. Nowadays there is a big drive to plant only indigenous trees and plants which will tolerate dry periods better. Southern Africa is a water scarce area.

 

[CincyBurner]

It doesn't produce any seeds yet.

Ash trees are dioecious, meaning separate male and female trees. If a cultivar was planted, then it was most likely from a male (seedless) selection.
Ash were commonly grown in the States because of its adaptability to soils, cold hardiness, and other conditions. Easy to grow for nurseries, and transplants easily, grows well, and nice fall color (white ash better than green ashes). Now very few ash grown in the U.S. since the discovery of emerald ash borer around 2003 which was introduced from China.

 

[Oldman47]

It definitely looks like an Ash, and a really healthy looking tree.
Try looking up Blue or Black Ash.. they have narrower leaflets and more of them. Black Ash loves water though, do you have moist soil?
Seems like kind of a dumb question but I know south Africa is kind of jungly.
Ash, I think, take like 40 years to produce seeds so maybe its still a baby.

Sister, my yard tree ash was producing large quantities of samaras after only about 10 years. I am pretty sure it was a black ash, based on some research I did before I had it dropped by a tree service. Around here we get plenty of rain but the soil seldom really gets wet but does stay moist a few inches down so maybe wet soil is not a parameter to use for black ash.

 

[Applesister]

I cant explain the premature seed production on your tree Oldman. It could be from stress. Or rapid growth, fertilizer, exceptional soil...
And aside from all the details, dont you all agree the very happy healthy tree looks like an Ash?
Black Ash grow natively in swamps, its their general 'seed germination' preference. But the pictures submitted by the OP looked like a very dry environment, the kind of dry environment that would cause yellowing of leaves and premature leaf drop in trees that naturally grow along ditches and wet lowlands.
No one has offered a different tree type?
It has opposite branching, compound leaves...theres Blue Ash, Nutmeg Ash, Pumpkin Ash, Red Ash...
The leaflets have no stems, they grow out from the main leaf stem. Not a White Ash characteristic.
So what would be other species suggestions?
Cincy? You're good at this.

 

[barmstrong2]

I cant explain the premature seed production on your tree Oldman. It could be from stress. Or rapid growth, fertilizer, exceptional soil...
And aside from all the details, dont you all agree the very happy healthy tree looks like an Ash?
Black Ash grow natively in swamps, its their general 'seed germination' preference. But the pictures submitted by the OP looked like a very dry environment, the kind of dry environment that would cause yellowing of leaves and premature leaf drop in trees that naturally grow along ditches and wet lowlands.
No one has offered a different tree type?
It has opposite branching, compound leaves...theres Blue Ash, Nutmeg Ash, Pumpkin Ash, Red Ash...
The leaflets have no stems, they grow out from the main leaf stem. Not a White Ash characteristic.
So what would be other species suggestions?
Cincy? You're good at this.

My first comment was elm. I went with elm over ash due to the serrations on the leaf. So... Elm?

 

[Firefighter938]

My first comment was elm. I went with elm over ash due to the serrations on the leaf. So... Elm?

Elm has alternate branching.

 

[Firefighter938]

M.A.D Buck is the acronym I use to help identify trees with opposite branching. Maple, Ash, Dogwood, buckeye(chestnut).

 

[CincyBurner]

A few assumptions:
if ash not naturalized in S.A. and
if an ash used in S.A. for landscape plantings, and someone planted this tree, and
if grown at a S.A. nursery and grower desired a consistent, sellable, consistent form, low risk, perhaps even seedless (male) then likely would have selected a cultivated variety (cv.) and not grown it from seed.
if most common cultivated varieties of ash for shade trees are green ash and white ash (blue ash is nice tree, but commercially not a big seller; bark is very distinct, flaky light, and twigs are squared and hence the namesake for its specific epithet - quadrangulata)
and leaf looks more green than white ash and white ash tends to be found on sites with moister and better soils; green ash has a broader range and is found on sites with drier, poor soils
if parts of S.A. have dry Mediterranean type climate (broken link removed to http://gimcw.org/climate/map-world.cfm), so perhaps a landscaper would have chosen green over white ash if given choice between the two.
white ash bark blockier, leaves broader lighter/ whiter on underside of leaves, hence its namesake
(broken link removed to https://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/herbarium/trees/Fraxinus_comparison01.htm)

then probably one of the green ash cv.
Just my op.

 

[Applesister]

Okay I looked up some European Ashes.
Common Ash is Fraxinus excelsior
Cultivars are developed from there.
Narrow leaf Ash is most widely cultivated in Northern Africa.
But you have a type called Afghan Ash. Fraxinus xanthoxyloides which it could be.
Described as Shrubby, hence commonly grafted onto Frax. excelsior. Native to dry valleys of Himalayas and Afghanistan. 5-9 leaflets. Leaglets are narrowly lanceolate or narrowly elliptic.
Perhaps hybrid in origin. Because its grafted I say its an urban cultivated type. The leaflets have that heavy toothing.
Another possibility is Caucasian Ash F. angustifolia sub. oxycarpa.
Another urban selected type outstanding shape and fine foliage. Lanceolate pointed leaflets, sharply serrated.

 

[Applesister]

Typing all that technical stuff is a pain.
There are other possibilities:
Chinese Ash F. sogdiana
Syrian Ash F. angustifolia sub. syriaca
And a Fraxinus holotricha

 

[Applesister]

The last one was described as a small tree with grey-green foliage with downy leaves. Cultivated and rare.