I don't remember any scent from the flowers, but if you brush up against the leaves, you'll get the smell of skunk. It's sometimes called skunk tree. It's well worth the smell, though, because giant swallowtails love it so.

Sherry

Sherry, I've read about the skunk smell! The Texas variety seems to be lacking in that respect, not that I'm complaining ... LOL

I just went out and crushed the leaves and they just smell like green leaves. There's no doubt about it being a wafer ash. Among other identifying features it hosts Giant Swallowtail cats.

Crystal, where did you obtain yours? That may be a key in what to expect in scent since it seems there are regional differences. Mine was dug from the wild on IH-10 where an apartment complex was due to be built.

Miss Sherry, thanks for enlightening me about where the skunk smell comes into the picture. I'll have to remember that, but if I forget, it sounds like I'll be quickly reminded of it. Pruning it must be a lot of fun.

Roselee - My little baby came from a yard near Copperas Cove. It was my gift for joining our local Native Plant Society of Texas. I hope they all give away a good native plant like that one to everyone that joins in other chapters. It's truly makes for a great gift. Thanks for testing your crushed leaves. It's the Giant Swallowtails that I want. My Wafer Ash seedling froze to the ground last year. It was so disappointing, but she came back and is now a 4' stem with designs on becoming a trunk one day. I'm already studying where I can plant another one nearby.

The bulb Fennel was loaded with Black Swallowtail caterpillars. I'm so eager to see more butterflies in the yard.

This is her year to grow in preparation for blooms next year, I hope.

Roselee, thanks for showing a picture of the bloom. I had no idea what to expect.

I'm still fascinated with the idea of regional differences in the scent of the wafer ash trees. Crystal, does your little tree have enough leaves for you to crease one to test for scent? Or anyone else for that matter ...

I just went out to check. It does smell like skunk! It’s not very strong though. Plus the smell came off washing my hands. Much different than my dogs with the real thing.

Iris, thank you for being willing to test it. But I'm glad it washed off easily! I've also had that most unpleasant experience with dogs getting sprayed by skunks.

Hmmm, I wonder if the cleverly disguised caterpillars might pick up the skunk scent which makes them unpalatable to birds IF they are found? Here's a photo of a caterpillar on my strangely 'unskunky' wafer ash ...

Yes, Iris, the skunk smell isn't nearly as strong as the real thing, but it's faintly there.

Sherry

When I go outside later, I'll pull a couple of leaves to check their scent for myself... now, that I've been alerted to it. If anything, I'm glad it's in the leaves and not the blooms.

Sherry, if you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have tried it. I just pulled off 2 of the lowest leaves. A VERY CLEAR, but faint skunk odor. I crushed the leaves which didn't add to the scent. Interesting, Ragna - you might have identified part of the draw of the Wafer Ash. That's a good question to pose to the hotshot at Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center. I think I'll do that and see what they say. Right now, I'm waiting to get an answer back on the sterile Lanantas and whether their pollen is as good as the Native Lantana. I'll let you guys know what I find out on that one, too.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower site said this: "Bark, crushed foliage, and twigs have a slightly lemonlike, unpleasant musky odor."

Bob has a much more sensitive nose than I do so I asked him to sniff a leaf, and then a crushed leaf from my tree. He said both smelled like a green leaf to him, not even a slight citrus order. So I dunno'. I guess mine is an anomaly.

Crystal, let us know next spring if your blooms are sweetly scented.

It’s weird. Without this experiment I would have never noticed anything. On the other hand I hate weeding next to the Fig. My husband doesn’t notice the smell. Walking by the desert willow, my daughter says it smells like an airplane bathroom. My husband thinks that one smells like the church when he was growing up.. So I guess there will always be different descriptions. I certainly didn’t get anything lemonlike with the wafer ash.

Roselee, Glad you got an answer back from the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower site. I haven't received any answer to my questions. When I crushed my leaves, they were just a green leaf type of scent - nothing unusual about that. Before I crushed them, I could smell a faint skunk smell. But, I'm thinking that you might have identified why the caterpillars eat those leaves. But, then again, they'd be drawn to any citrus tree as well.

Iris, never noticed the smell on my fig tree. Then, again, I haven't been looking for one. I'm beginning to think that my nose doesn't smell as good as it did yards ago.