49° SILVA OF NORTH AMERICA. OLEACEA. 
Frazinus velutina ranges from the mountains of western Texas through southern New Mexico 
and Arizona to southern Nevada and the Panamint Mountains and the shores of Owen’s Lake in south- 
eastern California;! it is common and widely distributed in northern Mexico, and occurs in Lower 
California. It is usually found growing in the neighborhood of streams, in elevated canons, and 
occasionally on dry mesas, when the leaves are thick and coriaceous and are sometimes coated with 
dense velvety tomentum. 
The wood of Fraxinus velutina is heavy, rather soft, not strong, and close-grained; it contains 
numerous thin medullary rays, and is light brown, with thick lighter colored sapwood. The specific 
gravity of the absolutely dry wood is 0.6810, a cubic foot weighing 42.43 pounds. It is used locally 
for axe-handles and in the manufacture of wagons. 
Fraxinus velutina was discovered in New Mexico in 1846 by Colonel William H. Emory? while 
in the command of a military reconnaissance from Fort Leavenworth in Missouri to San Diego in 
California. 
In the towns of southern Arizona and northern Mexico Fraxinus velutina is often planted in the 
streets and on the borders of irrigating ditches for the shade afforded by its abundant foliage. 
1 Coville, Contrib. U. S. Nat. Herb. iv. 148 (Bot. Death Valley 2 T. S. Brandegee, Proc. Cal. Acad. ser. 2, ii. 182 (Pl. Baja Cai.). 
Exped.). 3 See iv. 60. 
EXPLANATION OF THE PLATE. 
Puate CCLXVII. FRAXINUS VELUTINA. 
. A flowering branch of the staminate tree, natural size. 
A flowering branch of the pistillate tree, natural size. 
. A staminate flower, enlarged. 
. A pistillate flower, enlarged. 
. A fruiting branch, natural size. 
. Fruits of different forms, natural size. 
. Vertical section of a fruit, somewhat enlarged. 
. A seed, enlarged. 
CHNAAAPR WHE 
. An embryo, enlarged. 
