Bark thick, dark gray, with narrow forking ridges. Buds rounded, finely hairy, dark brown, in notch on upper side of leaf base. Flowers numerous, very small, purplish, in small branched clusters on twigs before leaves in early spring. Native to most of the eastern half of the U. S. and southeastern Canada.
White ash is an important hardwood timber tree.
The wood is hard and strong and is used in flooring, tool handles, baseball bats, etc.