Fraxinus uhdei | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Oleaceae |
Genus: | Fraxinus |
Section: | Fraxinus sect. Melioides |
Species: | F. uhdei
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Binomial name | |
Fraxinus uhdei (Wenz.Lingelsh
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Synonyms[2] | |
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Fraxinus uhdei, commonly known as tropical ash or Shamel ash, is a species of tree native to Mexico and Central America.[3] It is commonly planted as a street tree in Mexico and the southwestern United States. It has also been planted and spread from cultivation in Hawaii, where it is now considered an invasive species.[3]
Like other species in the section Melioides, Fraxinus uhdei is dioecious, with male and female flowers produced on separate individuals.[4]
The tropical ash was originally described as a variety of Fraxinus americana (white ash) by Theodor Wenzig in 1883[5] and was separated as a different species in 1907 by Alexander von Lingelsheim.[6] The specific epithet uhdei refers to Carl Uhde, a German plant collector who explored Mexico in the 1840s.[7]
Fraxinus uhdei is locally known as fresno blanco in Spanish; other English vernacular names include Hawaiian ash and Mexican ash.[3] The name Shamel ash refers to Archie Shamel, who introduced the trees to California in the 1920s.[7] It is known as Urapan in Colombia, where it was introduced in the 1950s.[8]
A dieback caused by a phytoplasma was recorded in Colombia and Ecuador in 2004.[8]