Fraxinus mandschurica
Encyclopedia
Fraxinus mandschurica is a species of Fraxinus native to northeastern Asia
in northern China
, Korea
, Japan
and southeastern Russia
.Also Known as 'Chinese Oak'.
It is a medium-sized to large deciduous
tree
reaching 30 m tall, with a trunk up to 50 cm in diameter. The leaves
are 25-40 cm long, pinnate compound, with 7-13 leaflets, the leaflets 5–20 cm long and 2–5 cm broad, subsessile on the leaf rachis, and with a serrated margin. They turn to a golden-yellow in early autumn, and the tree is usually early to change color. The flower
s are produced in early spring, before the new leaves, in compact panicle
s; they are inconspicuous with no petals, and are wind-pollinated. The fruit
is a samara
comprising a single seed
1-2 cm long with an elongated apical wing 2.5-4 cm long and 5-7 mm broad.
It is closely related to Fraxinus nigra
(Black Ash) from eastern North America
, and has been treated as a subspecies
or variety of it by some authors, as F. nigra subsp. mandschurica (Rupr.) S.S.Sun, or F. nigra var. mandschurica (Rupr.) Lingelsheim.
The spelling of the species name is disputed; some (e.g. the Flora of China) cite mandschurica, while others (e.g. USDA GRIN) cite mandshurica.
with well-defined seasons with cold winters, hot summers, and freedom from late spring frosts.
The seeds are eaten by a wide variety of birds.
and the United States
. Manchurian Ash can be used as a medium height wind break for a farmstead. It is also highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even grow well in inner city environments. The tree also makes an excellent landscape tree in moist areas, especially along roads and ditches where a good amount of water can be available. The Manchurian grows into a denser oval form with age.
It has proved very intolerant of oceanic climate
conditions in cultivation, leafing out too early and then being damaged by late spring frosts.
The species is being tested as a potential source of genes for resistance to emerald ash borer
Agrilus planipennis, an Asian insect which occurs alongside Manchurian Ash in the wild, and which has become an invasive pest species in North America. However, significant mortality in Manchurian Ash from emerald ash borer is also recorded in the wild in China.
The cultivar
Fraxinus mandschurica 'Mancana' ("Manchana Ash") has been selected by the Morden Research Station, Morden, Manitoba. It has a dense oval to globose crown, and is a male tree; it is very hardy. Hybrids with Black Ash have also been produced in cultivation.
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
in northern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and southeastern Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.Also Known as 'Chinese Oak'.
It is a medium-sized to large deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
reaching 30 m tall, with a trunk up to 50 cm in diameter. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are 25-40 cm long, pinnate compound, with 7-13 leaflets, the leaflets 5–20 cm long and 2–5 cm broad, subsessile on the leaf rachis, and with a serrated margin. They turn to a golden-yellow in early autumn, and the tree is usually early to change color. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are produced in early spring, before the new leaves, in compact panicle
Panicle
A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches; in other words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes....
s; they are inconspicuous with no petals, and are wind-pollinated. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a samara
Samara (fruit)
A samara is a type of fruit in which a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue develops from the ovary wall. A samara is a simple dry fruit and indehiscent . It is a winged achene...
comprising a single seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
1-2 cm long with an elongated apical wing 2.5-4 cm long and 5-7 mm broad.
It is closely related to Fraxinus nigra
Fraxinus nigra
Fraxinus nigra is a species of Fraxinus native to much of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, from western Newfoundland west to southeastern Manitoba, and south to Illinois and northern Virginia....
(Black Ash) from eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and has been treated as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
or variety of it by some authors, as F. nigra subsp. mandschurica (Rupr.) S.S.Sun, or F. nigra var. mandschurica (Rupr.) Lingelsheim.
The spelling of the species name is disputed; some (e.g. the Flora of China) cite mandschurica, while others (e.g. USDA GRIN) cite mandshurica.
Ecology
It is tolerant of many soil conditions including the wet soils of swamps and river valleys, and is not particular as to soil pH except for showing poor growth at high pH. It requires full sun for optimal growth, and should receive at least 50 cm of precipitation each year. It requires a continental climateContinental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
with well-defined seasons with cold winters, hot summers, and freedom from late spring frosts.
The seeds are eaten by a wide variety of birds.
Uses
This tree is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental tree in parts of CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Manchurian Ash can be used as a medium height wind break for a farmstead. It is also highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even grow well in inner city environments. The tree also makes an excellent landscape tree in moist areas, especially along roads and ditches where a good amount of water can be available. The Manchurian grows into a denser oval form with age.
It has proved very intolerant of oceanic climate
Oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
conditions in cultivation, leafing out too early and then being damaged by late spring frosts.
The species is being tested as a potential source of genes for resistance to emerald ash borer
Emerald ash borer
The emerald ash borer is a green beetle native to Asia.In North America the borer is an invasive species, highly destructive to ash trees in its introduced range. The potential damage of this insect rivals that of Chestnut blight and Dutch Elm Disease...
Agrilus planipennis, an Asian insect which occurs alongside Manchurian Ash in the wild, and which has become an invasive pest species in North America. However, significant mortality in Manchurian Ash from emerald ash borer is also recorded in the wild in China.
The cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
Fraxinus mandschurica 'Mancana' ("Manchana Ash") has been selected by the Morden Research Station, Morden, Manitoba. It has a dense oval to globose crown, and is a male tree; it is very hardy. Hybrids with Black Ash have also been produced in cultivation.