﻿Trees of New York State 327 



OLEACEAE 



Fraxinus americana L. 



White Ash 



Habit — A valuable timber species attaining a height of 70-80 feet with a 

 trunk diameter of 2-3 feet, under favorable conditions sometimes 120 feet 

 in height with a trunk 5-6 feet in diameter. In the forest the trunk is 

 tall, straight, and massive, and bears a narrow, reduced, pyramidal crown. 

 When growing in the open the crown is broadly pyramidal or oblong and 

 round-topped, and often extends nearly to the ground. 



Leaves — Opposite, odd-pinnately compound, 8-15 inches long, borne on stout, 

 grooved petioles, consisting of 5-11 stalked leaflets arranged, except for 

 the terminal, in pairs along the rachis. Leaflets ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 

 generally falcate, 3-5 inches long, attenuate at the apex, unequally 

 cuneate or rounded at the base, obscurely crenulate-serrate, at maturity 

 thick, dark green, glabrous and often somewhat lustrous above, pale 

 white and glabrous or pubescent below. 



Flowers — Appearing in May before the leaves, dioecious, the staminate in 

 dense, purplish red clusters, the pistillate in rather open panicles. Calyx 

 campanulate, inconspicuous and obscurely 4-lobed in the sterile flower, 

 conspicuous and deeply 4-lobed in the fertile flower. Corolla lacking. 

 Stamens 2 (occasionally 3), with large oblong-ovate, apiculate anthers 

 and short filaments. Pistil consisting of an ovate ovary contracted above 

 into an attenuate style bifurcated into stigmatic lobes. 



Fruit — An oblong or linear-spatulate, light brown samara, 1-2 inches long, 

 consisting of a basal, terete, many-rayed, seed-bearing portion prolonged 

 above into a wing which is pointed or emarginate at the apex and about 

 % of an inch in diameter. The samaras are borne in dense, drooping 

 panicles 5-7 inches long which generally persist into the winter. 



Winter characters — Twigs opposite, stout, flattened at the nodes, glabrous, 

 lustrous or covered with a slight bloom, grayish bro^vn, marked with 

 scattered pale lenticels and prominent, semi-orbicular leaf-scars. Termi- 

 nal bud hemi-spherical or broadly ovate and obtuse, rusty-brown to 

 brownish black, scurfy or slightly doAvny, about Vs of an inch long. 

 Visible scales 2-3 pairs. Lateral buds smaller, with blunter bud-scales. 

 Superposed buds present on vigorous shoots. Mature bark rather thick, 

 grayish brown, divided by deep narrow fissures into anastomosing ridges 

 which are flattened, transversely checked, and scaly at the surface. 



Habitat — Attains its best development in rich, moist, well-drained woods in 

 admixture with other species. Common in rolling country in fields, pas- 

 tures, and along fence rows and stream courses. 



Bange — Nova Scotia westward through southern Canada to Minnesota, south 

 to Florida and eastern Texas. Zones A, B, C, and D. 



Uses — A valuable timber species. "Wood hard, heavy, strong, close-grained, 

 tough, elastic, bro^NTi with wide, paler sapwood. Extensively used in the 

 manufacture of tool handles, agricultural implements, furniture, automo- 

 biles, refrigerators, woodenware, novelties, etc. White Ash is of rapid 

 growth, relatively immune from fungal diseases, and is to be recommended 

 for reforestation in admixture with other species. Often planted as a 

 shade and ornamental tree and hardv under adverse conditions. 



