Handbook of Tkees of the Northerx States and Cwai 



;oi 



The Wafer Ash is more often a shrub th:ii 

 a tree, but is occasionally found attaining the 

 height of 20 or 25 ft. with broad or rounded 

 tu|). and trunk sometimes 10 or 12 in. in diame- 

 ter. I have seen it in southern Ontario with 

 a short trunk 10 in. in diameter, but such a 

 size is very exceptional. Its dark green tri- 

 foliate leaves and conspicuous bunches of light 

 green wafer-like fruit make it an ornamental 

 object in late summer, and in winter, it is 

 hardly less conspicuous on account of the fruit 

 which persists seared and dry upon its naked 

 branches long after the leaves have fallen. 

 The flavor and odor of its leaves and bark 

 when bruised is very similar to that of the 

 hop for which it is sometimes used as a sub- 

 stitute in brewing beer, and it is from that 

 fact that it takes its name Hop-tree. 



The wood is rather heavy, a cu. ft. when 



absolutely dry weighing 51.84 lbs., liard and 



close-grained. 1 An extract from its bark is 



sometimes used as a tonic in medicine. 



Leaves with S subsessile ovate to oblong leaflets, 

 varying from rounded to cuneate at base, acumi- 

 nate at apex, remotely crenulate, pubescent at 

 first but finally lustrous dark green above, glandu- 

 lar-dotted bj-neath. Flowers in mid-summer, of 

 disagreeable odor. Fruit flat, similar to that of an 

 elm but larger-winged all around in dense clusters 

 and persisting on the branches nearly all winter.' 



1. A. \V.. IV. 77 



2. For uenus see p. 444. 



