You are certainly familiar with the ash tree as a deciduous tree. So it is easy to assume that the mountain ash is a subspecies of the plant. But once again, don't trust the naming, because ash trees and mountain ash trees are two completely different plant genera that are not related to each other. Find out here what the differences are.
The mountain ash has very little in common with the ash tree apart from the leaf shape and its name
Characteristics of Ash
- belongs to the olive tree family
- one of the tallest deciduous trees in Europe (up to 40 m high)
- spherical crown
- becomes up to 300 years old
- prefers deep, moist soil
- bears feathery leaves
- Leaf color is very dark
- Leaves are about 20 to 30 cm long
- hard, yet flexible wood
- forms nuts with wings
- the fruits are about 2-3 cm long
Characteristics of mountain ash
- belongs to the rose family
- also called rowan berries
- bears small, pinnate leaves with a rounded shape
- Leaves are about 15 cm long
- Bears red berries that the birds eat
- light crown
- maximum growth height is 25 m
- also occurs as a shrub
- becomes up to 150 years old
From the list alone you will certainly recognize many differences between ash and mountain ash. The most striking thing is probably the affiliation of the different genera. This results in differentiated characteristics such as fruits, growth height or age. Now the mountain ash is usually also referred to as false ash. But where does the name actually come from when the two trees have absolutely nothing to do with each other?
name origin
Due mountain ash is called an ash tree because of its leaves. These are visually similar, as both have the same unpaired feathering. If you take a closer look, however, you will quickly be able to distinguish the leaves of the ash tree from those of its namesake: they are darker and larger.