BLUE ASH (Fraxinus quadrangulata, MichxJ. Conceals 

 its bluing in its inner bark. Crush a bit of it in water and the 

 dye appears. But this is not always a convenient way to 

 identify a tree. There is a simpler and more satisfactory way. 

 Take a look at the twigs. Are they 4-sided toward the tips? 

 Quadrangulata means 4-angled. This obvious trait and the 

 perfect flowers set the blue ash apart from all the others. The 

 leaves and seeds might easily be confused with those of the 

 black ash if form alone were considered. But the foliage mass 

 of a blue ash is yellow green, much lighter in color than that 

 of its sombre cousin of the swamps. 



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