Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Velvet Ash

Fraxinus velutina

Torr.

Velvet Ash

G5Secure Found in 56 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.148676
Element CodePDOLE040H0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderScrophulariales
FamilyOleaceae
GenusFraxinus
Other Common Names
velvet ash (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
Fraxinus velutina is sometimes considered a subspecies of Fraxinus pennsylvanica (see Miller, 1955; Burns and Honkala, 1990). Fraxinus coriacea has been consistently recognized as a distinct entity in studies with a broader purview, although it has sometimes been treated as an element within Fraxinus velutina. Nesom (2010) recognized Fraxina coriacea as a distinct entity on the basis of its morphology and geography (also supported phylogenetically by Wallander, 2008). Intermediates also apparently occur between Fraxinus coriacea and F. velutina, especially in southwestern Utah in the restricted region where there ranges apparently come into contact (Nesom, 2010).
Conservation Status
Review Date2010-11-23
Change Date1999-10-18
Edition Date2010-11-23
Edition AuthorsCordeiro, J.
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Rank Reasons
It occurs from southern California east to Texas and in Mexico from northern Baja California east to Coahuila and Nuevo Leon
Range Extent Comments
It occurs from southern California east to Texas and in Mexico from northern Baja California east to Coahuila and Nuevo Leon (Little, 1979; Wallander, 2008).
Occurrences Comments
Welsh et al. (2003) noted that F. velutina (? = Fraxinus coriacea) also occurs in southeastern Iron Co. and western Kane Co., Utah.
Threat Impact Comments
Threat information is for the related green ash (mostly from Burns and Honkala, 1990):
Many insects feed at least occasionally on green ash (oystershell scale- Lepidosaphes u1mi, carpenterworm- Prionoxystus robiniae, ash sawfly- Tomostethus multicinctus, blackheaded ash sawfly- Tethida barda, ash borer- Podosesia syringae) (Fowells, 1965). Several diseases are of general importance: fungus Mycosphaerella fraxinicola creates a leaf spot which may cause premature defoliation of young trees, anthracnose Gloeosporium aridum also causes premature defoliation, rust caused by Puccinia peridermiopora results in distortion of petioles and small twigs, several rots cause minor damage in green ash, in Texas and Oklahoma, green ash has shown intermediate susceptibility to a root rot caused by Phymatotrichum omnivorum (Fowells, 1965).The fate of burned green ash (a related species) trees varies from main stem survival to complete kill. Likely site conditions, season, and fire severity play a role in green ash survival following fire. Some green ash trees have survived fire (Gucker, 2005).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

In Utah, it is mostly found growing in canyons near intermittent streams. In Nevada, it grows around springs and streams at Ash Meadows; but also in the Spring Range and on the margins of the Mojave Desert in spring canyons and other mesic locations between 1000 and 4500 feet elevation (Beatley, 1976; Rhode, 2002).

Reproduction

The related green ash (Gucker, 2005) reproduces both through seed production and vegetative sprouting (Martin et al., 1993). Most seeds are dispersed by wind within short distances of the parent tree. Some dispersal by water also may occur, but the importance of water as a long-distance dispersal agent is unknown (Burns and Honkala, 1990).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
New MexicoSNRYes
UtahS3Yes
TexasSNRYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
ArizonaSNRYes
NevadaS3Yes
Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (56)
Arizona (31)
AreaForestAcres
Arnold MesaPrescott National Forest12,286
Black CanyonPrescott National Forest10,683
Blind Indian CreekPrescott National Forest26,847
BoulderTonto National Forest40,359
Butterfly Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest42,296
Catalina St. Pk. Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest951
Cdo WsaCoronado National Forest1,955
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
Cimarron HillsCoconino National Forest5,303
GaliuroCoronado National Forest28,333
Happy ValleyCoronado National Forest7,972
Horse MesaTonto National Forest9,146
Lime CreekTonto National Forest42,568
Lower RinconCoronado National Forest3,278
Lower San FranciscoApache-Sitgreaves National Forests59,310
MazatzalTonto National Forest16,942
Middle Dragoon RoadlessCoronado National Forest10,543
Middle Romero WSRCoronado National Forest60
Mitchell PeakApache-Sitgreaves National Forests35,398
MuldoonPrescott National Forest5,821
NolanApache-Sitgreaves National Forests6,780
Oracle RoadlessCoronado National Forest22,365
Painted BluffsApache-Sitgreaves National Forests43,118
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
Pine Mountain Wilderness ContiguousTonto National Forest6,518
PipestemApache-Sitgreaves National Forests34,598
SalomeTonto National Forest2,932
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
Upper Rincon RoadlessCoronado National Forest2,991
Upper Romero WsrCoronado National Forest150
WhetstoneCoronado National Forest20,728
California (13)
AreaForestAcres
Barker ValleyCleveland National Forest11,940
Cactus Springs BSan Bernardino National Forest3,106
CajonSan Bernardino National Forest7,548
CalienteCleveland National Forest5,953
ChannellSequoia National Forest45,429
ChicoSequoia National Forest39,836
Pine CreekCleveland National Forest503
Pyramid Peak BSan Bernardino National Forest7,194
Red MountainAngeles National Forest8,034
RinconSequoia National Forest54,610
TuleAngeles National Forest9,861
WestforkAngeles National Forest4,407
WoodpeckerSequoia National Forest11,936
New Mexico (9)
AreaForestAcres
Aspen MountainGila National Forest23,784
Contiguous To Gila Wilderness & Primitive AreaGila National Forest79,049
Devils CreekGila National Forest89,916
Last Chance CanyonLincoln National Forest8,934
Meadow CreekGila National Forest34,167
Ortega PeakLincoln National Forest11,545
Peloncillo (NM)Coronado National Forest43,339
South Guadalupe MountainsLincoln National Forest20,930
West Face Sacramento MountainsLincoln National Forest41,176
Utah (3)
AreaForestAcres
Boulder Mtn. / Boulder Top / Deer LakeDixie National Forest110,690
CottonwoodDixie National Forest6,754
Pine Valley MountainsDixie National Forest57,673
References (19)
  1. Barnes, W.J. 1985. Population dynamics of woody plants on a river island. Canadian Journal of Botany 63:647-655.
  2. Beatley, J.C. 1976. Vascular plants of the Nevada test site and central-southern Nevada: Ecologic and geographic distributions. U.S. Department of Commerce, Energy Research and Development Administration, Technical Information Center, Springfield, Virginia.
  3. Burns, R. M., and B. H. Honkala, eds. 1990. Silvics of North America, vol. 2: Hardwoods. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook 654, Washington, DC. 877pp.
  4. Fowells, H.A. 1965. Silvics of Forest Trees of the United States. Division of Timber Management Research, Forest Service, USDA, Washington, D.C. 762 pages.
  5. Gucker, C.L. 2005. <i>Fraxinus pennsylvanica</i>. In: Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available online: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ (accessed: 23 November 2010).
  6. Hook, D.D. and C.L. Brown. 1973. Root adaptations and relative flood tolerance of five hardwood species. Forest Science 19:225-229.
  7. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  8. Little, E.L., Jr. 1979. Checklist of United States trees (native and naturalized). Agriculture Handbook No. 541. U.S. Forest Service, Washington, D.C. 375 pp.
  9. Martin, W.H., S.G. Boyce, and A.C. Echternacht (eds.). 1993. Biodiversity of the Southeastern United States: Lowland Terrestrial Communities. John Wiley & Sons, Inc: New York.
  10. McIninch, S.M. and D.R. Biggs. 1993. Mechanisms of tolerance to saturation of selected woody plants. Wetland Journal 5(2):25-27.
  11. Miller, G.N. 1955. The genus <i>Fraxinus</i>, the ashes, in North America, North of Mexico. Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station Memoir 335:1-64.
  12. Nesom, G.L. 2010. Taxonomic status of <i>Fraxinus coriacea</i> (Oleaceae). Phytoneuron 2010-37: 1-9.
  13. Rhode, D. 2002. Native Plants of Southern Nevada An Ethnobotany. University of Utah Press: Salt Lake City, Utah. 188 pp.
  14. Stevens, O.A. 1963. Handbook of North Dakota Plants. North Dalota Institute of Regional Studies: Fargo, North Dakota. 324 pp.
  15. Talbert, C.B., C. Taylor, and R.C. Kellison. 1985. Controlled-pollination methodologies in green ash. Forest Science 31(1):82-88.
  16. Tang, Z.C. and T.T. Kozlowski. 1984. Ethylene production and morphological adaptation of woody plants to flooding. Canadian Journal of Botany 62(8):1659-1664.
  17. Wallander, E. 2008. Systematics of <i>Fraxinus </i>(Oleaceae) and evolutionary dioecy. Plant Systematics and Evolution 273:25-49.
  18. Welsh, S.L., N.D. Atwood, S. Goodrich and L.C. Higgins. (Eds.) 2003. A Utah Flora. 3rd edition. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, U.S.A. 912 pp.
  19. Wright, J.W. 1952. Pollen dispersion of some forest trees. USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, Station Paper 46. 42 pp.