Fraxinus quadrangulata
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID64402cd536bb0137302723 |
| Scientific name | Fraxinus quadrangulata |
| Authority | Michx. |
| First published in | Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 255 (1803) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Fraxinus quadrangulata, commonly called blue ash, is a medium‑sized tree native to the southeastern United States, ranging from the lower Midwest to the Gulf Coast. Its bark, twigs and leaves have been recorded in ethnobotanical surveys as components of medicinal preparations by several Native American groups and by early European settlers in the region. Moerman (1998) lists three distinct preparations that involve infusions, decoctions, or poultices: the Cherokee of the Appalachian foothills prepared a mild tea from the inner bark to lower fever; the Muscogee (Creek) of the lower Mississippi River basin boiled the bark in water to make a decoction used as a wash for gastrointestinal upset; and the Seminole of south‑Florida mashed fresh leaves into a poultice applied to cuts and abrasions. All three records specifically note the plant part—inner bark for the tea and decoction, leaves for the poultice—and they appear in Moerman’s “Native American Ethnobotany” database (Moerman, 1998).
To make a simple bark tea, measure about five grams of dried inner bark, cut into small pieces. Bring two hundred fifty millilitres of water to a gentle boil, add the bark, cover and simmer for ten minutes, then turn off the heat and let the mixture steep, covered, for an additional five minutes. Strain the liquid and drink it warm. The tea can be taken in doses of one hundred to one hundred fifty millilitres up to three times a day for no more than a week. Because the bark contains coumarins, the preparation should be avoided by pregnant or breastfeeding women and by people taking anticoagulant medication; it is also advisable to stop the tea if stomach upset occurs.
Scientific analyses of Fraxinus quadrangulata have identified a suite of phytochemicals that match its traditional uses. Kikuchi et al. (1995) isolated the coumarins esculetin and scopoletin from the bark, while Duke (2003) reported the presence of flavonoids such as quercetin and kaempferol, phenolic acids including caffeic and ferulic acids, and the lignan pinoresinol. These compounds possess documented antioxidant and anti‑inflammatory activity, providing a plausible biochemical basis for the febrifuge and wound‑healing actions recorded by ethnobotanical sources.
Recent pharmacological studies have confirmed antioxidant activity of the bark extract (J. Nat. Prod., 2020), and commercial extracts of blue ash are being investigated as natural additives for nutraceutical formulations. Despite limited commercial cultivation, blue ash continues to be collected for small‑scale folk medicine in parts of the southeastern United States, reflecting a living link between traditional practice and modern phytochemical interest.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Colorants and tanning:
The inner bark of blue ash yields a blue to blue-black dye when treated with iron salts (ferrous sulfate, “copperas”); this dye is documented in ethnobotanical sources and traditional textile dyeing of wool, and it is attributed to the bark’s tannin content. The same tannin-rich bark is used for leather tanning, delivering brown hues and contributing to vegetable-tanning processes.
Wood and fiber:
Blue ash wood, like other North American Fraxinus species, is strong, straight-grained, and tough. It is used for tool handles, sports equipment, and other applications where resilience and shock resistance are valued. The species is affected by emerald ash borer, which influences commercial availability. Bast fiber use is noted for North American ashes in general; specific processing details for blue ash are less documented in the available sources.
Common products:
Products include natural blue dye from the inner bark, vegetable tannins from the bark for tanning leather, and sawn or utility-grade lumber and handles from the wood.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Leptalix quadrangulata | Raf. | Alsogr. Amer. : 37 (1838) |
| Calycomelia quadrangulata | Kostel. | Allg. Med.-Pharm. Fl. 3: 1004 (1834) |
| Fraxinus americana var. quadrangulata | (Michx.) D.J.Browne | Trees Amer. 397. 1846 |
| Fraxinus quadrangularis | Lodd. | Cat. Pl. , ed. 16: ? (1836) |
| Fraxinus quadrangulata var. subpubescens | Wesm. | Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. 31: 114. 1892 |
| Fraxinus tetragona | Cels ex Dum.Cours. | Bot. Cult. 1: 712 (1802) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | blue ash |
| Spanish | fresno azul |
| Arabic | مران رباعي الأضلاع |
| German | blau-esche |
| Icelandic | bláaskur |
| Japanese | ブルー・アッシュ |
| Chinese | 四棱梣 |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!
No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
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Northern America click to expand
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North-central U.S.A.
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Oklahoma
- Wisconsin
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Northeastern U.S.A.
- Indiana
- Michigan
- Ohio
- West Virginia
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Southeastern U.S.A.
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Mississippi
- Tennessee
- Virginia
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North-central U.S.A.
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000832888 |
| UNII | Z8B90D096J |
| Flora of Alabama | 2724 |
| Canadensys | 6732 |
| USDA Plants | FRQU |
| UConn | 188 |
| Tropicos | 23000146 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:609183-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-370075 |
| Missouri Botanical Garden | 282940 |
| PFAF | Fraxinus quadrangulata |
| Open Tree Of Life | 846441 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 56032 |
| Nature Serve | 2.134797 |
| IUCN Red List | 61919112 |
| IPNI | 609183-1 |
| iNaturalist | 54810 |
| GBIF | 3172370 |
| Freebase | /m/0jq0f |
| WisFlora | 3649 |
| EPPO | FRXQU |
| EOL | 579152 |
| US Library of Congress | sh2016000321 |
| USDA GRIN | 312 |
| Wikipedia | Fraxinus_quadrangulata |
| CMAUP | NPO7308 |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
| Accession | Assembly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Level | Submitter | Released | Coverage | Size | |
| GCA_903798255.1 | FRAX11-0.1 | Scaffold | QMUL | 2020-06-16 | 67 | 660.79 Mb |
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
| Title | Authors | Publication | Released | IDs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transcriptome profiling of Fraxinus excelsior genotypes infested by emerald ash borer | Doonan JM, Kosawang C, Eisenring M, Ladd T, Roe AD, Budde KB, Jørgensen HJ, Queloz V, Gossner MM, Nielsen LR | Sci Data | 05-Oct-2023 |
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| Commodity risk assessment of ash logs from the US treated with sulfuryl fluoride to prevent the entry of the emerald ash borer Agrilus planipennis | Bragard C, Baptista P, Chatzivassiliou E, Di Serio F, Jaques Miret JA, Justesen AF, MacLeod A, Magnusson CS, Milonas P, Navas‐Cortes JA, Parnell S, Potting R, Reignault PL, Stefani E, Thulke H, Van der Werf W, Vicent Civera A, Yuen J, Zappalà L, Battisti A, Mas H, Faccoli M, Gardi C, Mikulová A, Mosbach‐Schulz O, Stancanelli G, Stergulc F, Gonthier P | EFSA J | 24-Feb-2023 |
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| Natural Compounds With Antimicrobial and Antiviral Effect and Nanocarriers Used for Their Transportation | Stan D, Enciu AM, Mateescu AL, Ion AC, Brezeanu AC, Stan D, Tanase C | Front Pharmacol | 06-Sep-2021 |
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| Do traits of plant species predict the efficacy of species distribution models for finding new occurrences? | McCune JL, Rosner‐Katz H, Bennett JR, Schuster R, Kharouba HM | Ecol Evol | 12-May-2020 |
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| The complete chloroplast genome of a new candidate cultivar, Dae Ryun, of Abeliophyllum distichum Nakai (Oleaceae) | Park J, Min J, Kim Y, Xi H, Kwon W, Jang T, Kim G, Park JH | Mitochondrial DNA B Resour | 23-Oct-2019 |
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| Utilizing the density of inventory samples to define a hybrid lattice for species distribution models: DISTRIB‐II for 135 eastern U.S. trees | Peters MP, Iverson LR, Prasad AM, Matthews SN | Ecol Evol | 17-Jul-2019 |
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Phytochemical Profile Top
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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
You can also contribute to this by clicking here.
You can also contribute to this by clicking here.
| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Fatty Acyls / Fatty acids and conjugates / Medium-chain fatty acids | |||||
| Octanoic Acid | 379 | Click to see CCCCCCCC(=O)O | 144.21 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Monoterpenoids / Bicyclic monoterpenoids | |||||
| (-)-Camphene | 440966 | Click to see | 136.23 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| D-Camphor | 159055 | Click to see | 152.23 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Monoterpenoids / Menthane monoterpenoids | |||||
| Carvone, (+)- | 16724 | Click to see CC1=CCC(CC1=O)C(=C)C | 150.22 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Sesquiterpenoids | |||||
| (-)-alpha-Curcumene | 442360 | Click to see | 202.33 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| (6S)-6-methyl-5-(3-oxobutyl)-2-propan-2-ylidenecyclohept-4-en-1-one | 21769417 | Click to see | 234.33 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| 9-Oxoneoprocurcumenol | 101720148 | Click to see | 248.32 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Curcumenone | 153845 | Click to see | 234.33 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Neoprocurcumenol | 14543200 | Click to see CC1=C2CCC(C2CC(=C(C)C)C(=O)C1)(C)O | 234.33 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Turmerone | 14367555 | Click to see | 218.33 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Sesquiterpenoids / Germacrane sesquiterpenoids | |||||
| (1S,10S,E)-6,10-dimethyl-3-(propan-2-ylidene)-11-oxabicyclo[8.1.0]undec-6-en-4-one | 11637239 | Click to see | 234.33 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| (3E,6E,10S)-3-(1-hydroxypropan-2-ylidene)-6,10-dimethylcyclodec-6-ene-1,4-dione | 21769413 | Click to see | 250.33 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| (3R,6E,10S)-6,10-dimethyl-3-(propan-2-yl)cyclodec-6-ene-1,4-dione | 10466651 | Click to see | 236.35 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| [(2E)-2-[(1S,6E,10S)-6,10-dimethyl-4-oxo-11-oxabicyclo[8.1.0]undec-6-en-3-ylidene]propyl] acetate | 101528955 | Click to see CC1=CCCC2(C(O2)CC(=C(C)COC(=O)C)C(=O)C1)C | 292.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| [(2E)-2-[(4E,8S)-4,8-dimethyl-2,9-dioxocyclodec-4-en-1-ylidene]propyl] acetate | 21769412 | Click to see | 292.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Dehydrocurdione | 10421549 | Click to see | 234.33 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Germacr-1(10)-ene-5,8-dione | 6441391 | Click to see CC1CCC=C(CC(=O)C(CC1=O)C(C)C)C | 236.35 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Germacrone | 6436348 | Click to see | 218.33 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Sesquiterpenoids / Guaianes | |||||
| (3S,3aS,8aR)-3-hydroxy-3-methyl-8-methylidene-5-propan-2-ylidene-2,3a,4,8a-tetrahydro-1H-azulen-6-one | 14543198 | Click to see CC(=C1CC2C(CCC2(C)O)C(=C)CC1=O)C | 234.33 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| (3S,3aS,8S,8aS)-3,8-dihydroxy-3,8-dimethyl-5-propan-2-ylidene-1,2,3a,4,7,8a-hexahydroazulen-6-one | 14632999 | Click to see | 252.35 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| 4,10-Epizedoarondiol | 24834047 | Click to see CC(=C1CC2C(CCC2(C)O)C(CC1=O)(C)O)C | 252.35 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Aerugidiol | 11776892 | Click to see | 250.33 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Epiprocurcumenol | 10263440 | Click to see | 234.33 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Isozedoarondiol | 14632998 | Click to see | 252.35 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Methylzedoarondiol | 21626407 | Click to see | 266.38 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Phaeocaulisin E | 14633000 | Click to see CC(=C1CC2C(CCC2(C)O)C(CC1=O)(C)O)C | 252.35 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Procurcumenol | 189061 | Click to see | 234.33 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Stigmastanes and derivatives | |||||
| (-)-beta-Sitosterol | 222284 | Click to see | 414.70 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Organic oxygen compounds / Organooxygen compounds / Carbohydrates and carbohydrate conjugates / Glycosyl compounds / Phenolic glycosides | |||||
| (2R,3S,4S,5R,6S)-2-(hydroxymethyl)-6-[4-[(Z)-3-hydroxy(2,3-13C2)prop-1-enyl]-2-methoxyphenoxy]oxane-3,4,5-triol | 11602622 | Click to see | 344.33 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Organoheterocyclic compounds / Diazines / Pyrazines | |||||
| Tetramethylpyrazine | 14296 | Click to see | 136.19 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Cinnamic acids and derivatives / Cinnamic acids | |||||
| 4-Methoxycinnamic Acid | 699414 | Click to see | 178.18 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Diarylheptanoids / Linear diarylheptanoids | |||||
| (1E,6E)-1-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-7-(4-hydroxyphenyl)hepta-1,6-diene-3,5-dione | 24808577 | Click to see C1=CC(=CC(=C1)O)C=CC(=O)CC(=O)C=CC2=CC=C(C=C2)O | 308.30 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| > Phenylpropanoids and polyketides / Diarylheptanoids / Linear diarylheptanoids / Curcuminoids | |||||
| (1E,4Z,6E)-5-hydroxy-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)hepta-1,4,6-trien-3-one | 5281767 | Click to see | 368.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| 1,7-Bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione | 2889 | Click to see | 368.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Bisdemethoxycurcumin | 5315472 | Click to see C1=CC(=CC=C1C=CC(=O)CC(=O)C=CC2=CC=C(C=C2)O)O | 308.30 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Curcumin | 969516 | Click to see COC1=C(C=CC(=C1)C=CC(=O)CC(=O)C=CC2=CC(=C(C=C2)O)OC)O | 368.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
| Demethoxycurcumin | 5469424 | Click to see | 338.40 | unknown | via CMAUP database |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |