Crow's ash

How to identify a Crow's ash

Leaves are compound, up to about 34 cm long, with 5 to 13 glossy leaflets that are paler underneath; hold one up to the light and you'll see tiny translucent oil dots. In spring, small white to cream flowers appear in branched clusters up to 15 cm long at the branch tips. The fruit is the easiest clue: a hard, brown, woody capsule 5 to 10 cm long, studded with short prickly points, that splits into five parts which stay joined at the base. Inside are large seeds with a wing at one end. The brown bark sheds in small oval flakes, leaving shallow dents that give the trunk a spotted look.

Growing a Crow's ash in Brisbane

It's a local species: its natural range runs from around Mackay to northern New South Wales, taking in south-east Queensland, where it grows in rainforest and in drier scrub. Brisbane City Council lists it as a street tree for undulating plains, higher land and arterial road verges 2.5 to 5 metres wide, and rates it suitable near bus stops but not under power lines. Council classes its crown as small. In the forest it can reach about 25 metres, but council plans for 8 to 10 metres in streets.

What to watch out for

The sources consulted note no particular pest or disease problems. Brisbane City Council doesn't list it for planting under power lines, and the woody, prickly capsules can stay on the tree for much of the year.

Pruning and care

Published pruning advice specific to crow's ash is scarce, so general good practice applies. Take out dead, damaged or crossing branches, and lift the lower canopy gradually if it blocks a path or driveway rather than removing a lot at once. Water young trees through dry spells until they are established, and keep a ring of mulch over the root zone, clear of the trunk. Larger pruning, or anything near power lines, is a job for a qualified arborist with the right gear.

• Tree pruning
• Tree removal
• Stump grinding
• Tree health assessment