Kentucky Plant Atlas




Taxonomic distinction unclear    No county information
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Oleaceae Fraxinus <Melioides> pennsylvanica var. campestris
Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh. var. campestris (Britt.) F.C. Gates
ALI: no HAB: n/a, n/a, n/a, n/a ABU: n/a, n/a, 0
This taxon appears to be distinct within its largely western and northern range (Campbell 2017), but it probably intergrades with the more southeastern var. subintegerrima. Cultivars from western states, especially the largely male "Marshall's Seedless" from Utah, have been widely planted in developed areas of eastern states within the past 50 years but tend to grow poorly in southeastern states (Stoutamire & McArdle 1983; Gilman & Watson 1993). Leaflets of var. campestris generally differ from var. subintegerimma of east-central states in their shorter petiolules (0-2 mm versus 1-12 mm) and deeper serration (ca. 0.5-1 mm versus 0-0.5 mm); also, they tend to be fewer (mostly 5-7 versus 7-9), smaller and often broader in shape. Their samaras tend to be shorter (mostly 2.6-3.7 cm versus 3.4-4.6 cm), broader/blunter (often spathulate-oblanceolate versus linear-lanceolate) and more prominently veined. "Marshall's Seedless" has sometimes been confused with species of sect. Fraxinus, which generally have subsessile leaflets.There are no definite records of native or naturalized var. campestris in Ky., but there are scattered vegetative colls. that may be referred to this taxon (mostly at EKY). Seedlings are sometimes found that appear partly derived from planted trees, and some of these colls. are from wilder places. However, it is possible that juvenile or sprouting shoots of var. subintegerrima are often more serrated, and thus confusable with var. campestris.