

MASSACHUSETTS FOREST TREES 



BLACK ASH (Fraxinus nigra Marsh.) 



THE Black Ash is found to a certain extent through - 



out the State, though more abundantly in the 



central and western portions than in the eastern. It 



confines itself almost exclusively to rich, moist ground 



in the vicinity of streams and swamps. 



In habit it is a very slender tree, usually growing 

 to a height of sixty to seventy feet and having a 

 diameter of one to two feet. In the woods the trunk 

 is slim and without branches until near its very top. 

 In the open 

 it may have a 

 broad, round 

 head. 



The bark 

 on the trunk 

 is dark gray 

 and marked 

 by parallel 

 ridges. The' 

 season's 

 shoots are 

 olive-green 

 and smooth, 

 and the buds 

 are black. 



The leaves 

 are opposite, 

 twelve to fif- 

 t e e n inches 



in length and consist of seven to eleven leaflets. 

 These are oblong, four to five inches long, remotely 

 toothed and without stalks, except in the case of the 

 terminal one. 



The flowers and fruit for all superficial purposes 

 resemble those of the White Ash. 



The wood is heavy, soft, tough and durable. It is 

 used in cabinet work, for interior finishing, for hoops 

 and for baskets. For this last purpose it is held in 

 very high esteem. 



BLACK ASH 



Leaf and fruit. One-third natural size. 



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