The Trees of Vermont 193 



OLEACEAE 



Black Ash 

 Fraxinus nigra Marsh. [Fraxinus sambucifoHa Lam.] 



Habit. — A tall tree 60-80 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 1-2 

 feet ; slender, upright branches form in the forest a narrow crown, 

 in the open a rounded, ovoid crown. 



Leaves. — Opposite, pinnately compound, 12-16 inches long. Leaf- 

 lets 7-11, 3-5 inches long, 1-2 inches broad ; sessile, except the terminal ; 

 oblong to oblong-lanceolate, long-pointed ; remotely, but sharply ser- 

 rate ; thin and firm ; dark green above, paler beneath, glabrous. Petioles 

 stout, grooved, glabrous. 



Flowers. — May, before the leaves ; polygamo-dioecious ; borne in 

 loose panicles on shoots of the preceding season ; calyx ; corolla ; 

 stamens 2 ; ovary 2-celled. 



Fruit. — August-September, falling early, or sometimes hanging 

 on the tree until the following spring; samaras 1-1)^ inches long, in 

 open, paniculate clusters 8-10 inches long. 



Winter-buds. — Ovoid, pointed; bud-scales rounded on the back, 

 3 pairs, almost black. 



Bark. — Twigs at first dark green, becoming ashy gray or orange, 

 finally dark gray and warted ; thin, soft ash-gray and scaly on the 

 trunk. Bark flakes oil on rubbing with the hand. Plate VIIL 



Wood. — Heavy, tough, coarse-grained, weak, rather soft, dark 

 brown, with thin, lighter colored sapwood. 



Distribution. — Common throughout the lower altitudes. 



Habitat. — Deep, cold swamps and low river-banks ; wet woods. 



Notes. — The black ash is found in lowlands and swamps. Often 

 it is called the brown ash but this name is confusing as it is applied also 

 to the red ash. This and the white ash are the commoner species of 

 V^ermont. They are distinguished easily by the fact that the leaflets of 

 the white ash always are distinctly stalked while the black ash has 

 sessile leaflets. These are seven to eleven in number, often forming a 

 leaf twelve to sixteen inches long which is smooth and green on both 

 sides. Black ash timber is coarser-grained than is that of white ash. 

 It is used for furniture and interior finishings and in the manufacture 

 of baskets. 



