Side by side
Ash or elder? How to tell them apart
Fraxinus excelsior · Sambucus nigra
How to tell them apart – ash: grows into a large tree, has more leaflets and black buds; elder: shrubby, with pinnate leaves of 5–7 leaflets that smell unpleasant, twigs with white pith.
How do you recognise them?
- Ash
- Opposite pinnate leaves with 9–13 leaflets and thick, matt black buds.
- Compared with elder: grows into a large tree, has more leaflets and black buds.
- Elder
- Shrubby, with pinnate leaves of 5–7 leaflets that smell unpleasant; twigs with white pith.
| Ash | Elder | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Opposite, pinnate with 9–13 oblong, toothed leaflets. The leaves often fall while still green in autumn. | Opposite, pinnate with 5–7 toothed, pointed leaflets. When crushed the leaf smells unpleasant. |
| Flowering | April | Large flat umbels of creamy, fragrant little flowers in May–June (May–June). |
| Fruit | Clusters of winged fruits (‘keys’) that hang on well into winter. | Hanging umbels of purple-black berries (Aug–Sept). Mildly poisonous raw, delicious cooked in syrup or jam. |
| Bark | Smooth and greenish-grey when young, later pale grey with a fine network of ridges. Buds velvety black. | Grey-brown and corky, fissured; young twigs with conspicuous warts (lenticels) and soft white pith. |
| Shape and height | Broadleaf tree, 20–35 m | Shrub, 3–10 m, shrub or small tree |
| Site | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, moist to wet | Sun to shade, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | Yes | Yes |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for butterflies and birds | Yes, for birds |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | November–March | November–March |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Both are native and good for wildlife: choose what suits your soil, your light and the space you have.
- Ash grows 20–35 m tall: too big for an ordinary garden, but fine in a large garden, a park or a meadow.
Read on
- Plant profile: Ash
- Plant profile: Elder
- Ash: when and how to prune
- Elder: when and how to prune
- Identification key: the question that separates them
Also looks like
- Ash or rowan
- Elder or red-berried elder
- Ash or tree of heaven
- Ash or Japanese pagoda tree
- Ash or manna ash
- Ash or box elder
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.