Fraxinus excelsior, known as the 

ash, or European ash or common ash to distinguish it from

other types of ash, is a flowering plant species in the olive family Oleaceae. It is native
throughout mainland Europe[2] east to the Caucasus and Alborz mountains, and Britain and
Ireland, the latter determining its western boundary. The northernmost location is in
the Trondheimsfjord region of Norway.[3][4] The species is widely cultivated and reportedly
naturalised in New Zealand and in scattered locales in the United States and Canada.[5][6][7]