THE WHITE ASH 



FEW trees have a more characteristic appearance at any season of the year than do 

 our various species of the Ash- tree family. The bark of the trunk is of a grayish 

 color, and is so vertically furrowed in a more or less zigzag fashion as to be easily 

 recognized. The manner of growth of the branches and twigs is also characteristic, as are 

 the large compound leaves and the very distinctive paddle-like key-fruits. 



The European Ash has been the subject of many traditions and superstitions, 

 which to a certain extent have been applied to the American species. One of the most 

 curious of these is the one relating to the antipathy of snakes for the branches of the trees. 

 So long ago as Pliny wrote, the superstition apparently was in existence, for that author 

 states that the serpent will go through fire rather than through the branches of the Ash 

 tree. 



The White Ash is distinguished in summer from the other species native to America 

 by having stalked leaflets on glabrous petioles, the leaflets being distinctly whiter on the 

 under than on the upper surface. The margins of the leaflets are serrate and the tips are 

 commonly acuminate. They turn yellow in autumn. In winter the White Ash is dis- 

 tinguished by having smooth glabrous twigs and slender key-fruits on which the wing is 

 terminal. 



The curious blossoms of this tree are sent out in spring in advance of the leaves. 

 The pollen-bearing and the seed-bearing flowers are generally on different trees, and the 

 pollen is evidently carried by the wind. The seed-bearing flowers are in long panicles 

 that become still larger as the fruit matures. 



The White Ash grows commonly throughout a vast region bounded by Nova Scotia 

 and Minnesota on the north, and Florida and Texas on the south. It is greatly prized 

 as a timber tree, the wood being used for many purposes, and it also has decided advantages 

 as a shade and ornamental tree. It is often called the American Ash, the translation of 

 its technical name. It is easily grown from seed. 



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