Fraxinus excelsior — known as the
ash, or
European ash or
common ash to distinguish it from other types of ash — is a species of
Fraxinus native to most of
Europe from
Portugal to
Russia, with the exception of northern
Scandinavia and southern
Iberia. It is also considered native in southwestern
Asia from northern
Turkey east to the
Caucasus and
Alborz mountains. The northernmost location is in the
Trondheimsfjord region of
Norway. The species is widely cultivated and reportedly naturalized in
New Zealand and in scattered locales in the
United States and
Canada (
Nova Scotia,
New Brunswick,
Quebec,
Massachusetts,
Connecticut,
New York,
New Jersey,
Maryland,
Ontario,
Ohio,
Kentucky and
British Columbia).