210 FLOWERS OF THE ROADSIDES AND HEDGES 
of them. The same tree, or even the same branch, varies in this 
regard from year to year. The tree is thus unstable in its sexual 
development. 
The fruit is winged at the extremity, and when it falls the wind 
carries it to some distance. 
The Ash is largely a clay-loving or limestone-loving plant, and 
addicted to a cold clay soil. It is abundant, for instance, on liassic and 
boulder-clay rock soils. 
As a tree, many fungi attack it, eg. Phytophthora omnwora, 
Rosellinia ligniarta, Ash canker. It is galled by Phyllocoptes fraxini, 
Diplosis betularia, Cecidomyia acrophila, C. pavida, and Diplosis fraxt- 
nella and D. znvocata. Other insects live in it, as Evzophyes fraxintz, 
Lucanus cervus, Stnodendron cylindricum, Rhagtum inguisitor, Hyle- 
senus crenatus, H. fraxint, H. olerperda, Vespa crabro, Chienaspts 
salicis, Apterococcus Sraxint, Zeuzera aescult, Prays curtisellus, Bibio 
marct, Psyllopsts fraxinicola, P. fraxint, Pseudococcus aceris. 
As a food plant, two beetles, Zytha vestcatoria, Anobium pertinax; 
Hymenoptera, Zexthredo bipustulata, A llantus tricinctus; Homoptera, 
Alurodes dubia; several Heteroptera, Calocoris fulvomaculatus, Lygus 
cervinus, Ortholytus tenellus, Malacocoris chlorizans, Loxops coccineus, 
Psallus variabilis, P. lepidus; Lepidoptera, Calocampa fraxini, Metro- 
campa margaritaria, feed upon it. 
Fraxinus, Vergil, is the Latin for Ash Tree, and the second Latin 
name refers to the unsurpassed qualities of the wood. Ash is the 
modern form of the Old English ese. 
It is called Ache, Aischen, Aishen-tree, Ash, Ash-candles, Ash- 
chats, Ash-keys, Bird’s Tongue, Cats-and-Keys, Cats’-keys, Chats, 
Culverkeys, Eisch-keys, Esh, Freyn, Ground Ash, Haish, Hertwort, 
Ketty-keys, Keys, Kite-keys, Locks-and-Keys, Patty Keys, Peter 
Keys, Shacklers, Urchin Wood Croney. The name Shacklers is given 
because of the fruit, and to shackle means to rattle. 
As to the name Ash-keys, Turner says: ‘They are called in 
Englishe ashe Keyes because they hang in bunches after the manner 
of keyes”. 
“ Break me a bit o’ the Esh for his ’ead, lad, out o’ the fence.” 
In Lincoln, if a man took a newly-cut Esh plant. not thicker than 
his thumb, he might lawfully beat his wife with it. 
Much superstition has centred around this common tree. Ruptures 
and holes in Ash trees were used by the people to pass children through, 
especially before sunrise, a supposed beneficial proceeding. It was 
