Fraxinus uhdei - Evergreen Ash

The largest of the Ash trees in our area, the mostly evergreen ash grows 80 feet tall and 60 feet wide with large upright and arching primary scaffold branches and if lining a street would cover it like an American Elm. Also called the Shamel Ash. This one is on the corner of Walnut and Cedar.

Leaves are evergreen or deciduous in colder climates, oppositely arranged, pinnately compound 6-8" long with 7 or 9 leaflets, each 3-4" long, narrowly ovate or lanceolate, with serrated margins.

Plants dioecious or monoecious, usually separate. Small, green, only obvious because they are different color green than the leaves.

Fruit is a straight samara, 1-2" long, maturing light tan. Produced in abundance on female trees if a male is in the area.

Bark smooth and green when young, remaining smooth and only slightly fissured with age. Leaf scars are pretty interesting and can be used to identify some ash trees.

Buds on ash trees all look alike, mostly copper but sometimes black. Short and fatter than tall. Clustered at the tips.

Misidentification:

Fraxinus pensylvanica, the green ash. My good friend told me you can tell the difference in winter if they still have leaves, not much help eh?

Location:
Capitola
216 Oakland Ave. intersection with Escalona. Not sure if that's the real number, was a church and was converted to a house.

44th and Capitola Rd. in the parking lot, huge tree, almost always with fruit.

Santa Cruz
Center St and Walnut at the corner of the parking garage.