Fraxinus excelsior European ash

Quite rare in California outside botanical gardens, the European ash may be most readily confused with the narrower-leaved F. angustifolia, though its breathtakingly jet-black buds easily distinguish it from other common ashes. In indirect light they read as pure black, while direct sunlight can reveal dark brown edges. There are usually 9 or 11 leaflets.

European ash was propagated in the Stanford nursery in 1890. Today, only a single individual can be found, sparse-crowned yet bearing samaras profusely, remarkably preserved in its own bulbout just west of the Escondido Road entrance to the Duan Family Hall parking lot.