# Arizona ash (Fraxinus velutina)

> A fast-growing round-headed shade tree (30-50 feet) with compound leaves that turn yellow in fall, native to far West Texas streambanks and planted by the thousands in Austin and San Antonio subdivisions in the 1970s-1990s for quick shade. It is short-lived (often declining after 25-30 years), prone to borers, storm breakage and decline, and like all North American ashes it is now threatened by the emerald ash borer, which has reached Texas. Austin's Grow Green guide lists only the native Texas ash (Fraxinus texensis) as appropriate for the area.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/fraxinus-velutina · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: Velvet ash, Modesto ash, Desert ash
- Family: Oleaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, drops leaves
- Mature height: 12 m; spread 10 m
- Growth: Fast growing
- USDA hardiness zones: 7 to 10
- Light: Full sun
- Water: Low water
- Soil: Rocky or sandy alkaline soils along desert streams; adapts to clay but does poorly on shallow caliche without water
- Native range: Desert Southwest from southern California, Nevada and Utah through Arizona and New Mexico to the Trans-Pecos of west Texas and northern Mexico

**Benefits:** Shade, Fast canopy, Drought tolerant, Fall color

**Good for:** Yard shade, Street tree

**Watch out for:** Short lived, Pest prone, Weak wood

## Care

Not recommended for new planting in Central Texas; where it is native in the Trans-Pecos it is a reasonable fast shade tree with regular deep watering. Existing trees: water deeply in drought, prune out dead wood in winter, and watch for emerald ash borer symptoms (thinning crown, D-shaped exit holes, woodpecker damage); untreated infested trees die within a few years. Plan a replacement such as cedar elm, chinkapin oak or Texas ash.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** United States (Also native in: AZ, CA, NV, UT (USDA PLANTS distribution)); NM, United States; TX, United States (Native only to the Trans-Pecos of far West Texas; widely planted but not native in Central Texas. Not on Austin lists: the City of Austin Grow Green guide calls Texas ash (Fraxinus texensis) the 'only Ash appropriate for Austin area' and notes susceptibility to emerald ash borer)
- **Adapted:** Austin, TX, United States (Widely planted in Austin since the 1970s but short-lived and not on any City of Austin or TreeFolks recommended list; Grow Green recommends Texas ash instead)
- **Recommended:** Sydney, NSW, Australia (On the City of Sydney Street Tree Master Plan 2023 precinct planting palette); Dallas, TX, United States (On the City of Dallas Article X Approved Tree List)

## Sources

- https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/FRVE2
- https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=FRVE2
- https://www.austintexas.gov/watershed-protection/plant-guide/ash-texas