Fraxinus ornus - Manna Ash

The Fraxinus ornus, also known as Flowering Ash, Manne Ash, Ornus, or Manna Ash, is a botanical species that grows naturally in southern Europe and in the arid hills of our southeast. It is a deciduous small tree with late leafing, whose ample crown disappears in spring under a mass of cream-white, fragrant, and honey-producing flowers. The foliage, pinnate and dark green, turns yellow before falling in autumn. All these qualities, combined with excellent cold resistance, make it an excellent candidate for an informal hedge, especially in hot and dry regions.

The Flowering Ash is a tree of the Oleaceae family, just like the olive tree and the lilac. It is native to southern Europe and western Asia. The habit of this ash is generally rounded. It develops one or several trunks covered with a gray and smooth bark, topped with an oval to globular, fairly open crown. Its growth is fast. At maturity, it reaches an average height of 7 m (23 ft) with a spread of 3.50 m (11 ft) to 4 m (13 ft), depending on the growing conditions. The deciduous foliage consists of leaves measuring 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in) long, composed of 5 to 9 leaflets, each measuring 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in) long by 2 to 4 cm (0.8 to 1.6 in) wide. These leaflets, quite dark green and slightly glossy, have a finely dentate and undulate edge. The large buds of the Flowering Ash are dark and ashy in color. Flowering occurs in May, at the same time as the leaves appear, in the form of upright, well-filled, very dense panicles, measuring 10 to 20 cm (4 to 8 in) long. Each flower, which does not exceed 5-6 mm (0.2 in) in length, has 4 cream-white petals. After pollination, seeds called samaras measuring 2 to 4.5 cm (0.8 to 1.8 in) long are formed. The name "Manna Ash" comes from the fact that the sweet and syrupy sap of this tree can be harvested after incising the bark. Called "apothecaries' manna," it is still used today in herbal medicine for its purgative and diuretic properties.

Perfectly hardy and unpretentious, the Flowering Ash can tolerate any ordinary soil, including dry and limestone soils. In its natural form, its elegant habit and beautiful spring flowering give it true ornamental qualities. This small tree will find its place in a grove, in a large shrub hedge, or as a standalone tree in a medium to large garden. Since it tolerates pruning perfectly, regrowing from its stump, it is entirely possible to limit its development in a hedge. It will blend well with honey tree, strawberry trees, sea buckthorns, and Bohemian olive trees, or even with cornelian cherry, large shrubs or small trees that are useful for biodiversity and are equally undemanding.