Leaves: Opposite, compound, with 7-9 leaflets; leaflets lance-shaped to elliptic, pointed at the tip, rounded or tapering at the slightly asymmetrical base, up to 10 inches long and about half as wide, smooth or finely toothed along the edges, yellow-green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and velvety-hairy on the lower surface. The leaves turn yellow in the autumn.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate flowers borne on separate trees, in elongated clusters, appearing before the leaves, small, greenish-purple, without any petals.
Fruit: Oblong, winged fruits, usually rounded at the tip, up to 3 inches long and one-half inch broad, with a single seed near the bottom.
Wood: Heavy, strong, hard, close-grained, brown.
Uses: Boxes, paper pulp, fuel.
Habitat: Floodplains, swamps.
Range: New York across Ohio to southern Illinois and southern Missouri, south to Louisiana, east to Florida.
Distinguishing Features: The Pumpkin Ash is the only ash in Illinois with velvety-hairy twigs and usually toothless leaves.
