31. FRAXINUS PUBESCENS RED ASH, GRAY ASH. 19 



HABITAT. Europe is the native country of the apple, but from thence 

 it has been extensively introduced into all countries of temperate climate, 

 and now seems to be quite naturalized in the United States, self-seeding 

 very commonly. 



PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. Wood heavy, very hard and close-grained, 

 brittle, susceptible of a high polish and warping badly on drying. It is 

 of a brownish color, sometimes strongly tinted with red, and the sap-wood 

 is of a dull white. 



USES. Apple wood is of especial value in turned work for tool-handles, 

 buttons for plane-stocks, mallets, etc. 



The valuable fruit of this tree is too well known to require comment. 

 In economic importance it is probably second to no other fruit. 



MEDICINAL PROPERTIES are not ascribed to this species. 



ORDER OLEACE^E: OLIVE FAMILY. 



Leaves opposite and single or pinnately compound. Flowers monopetalous (rarely 

 apetalous or polypetalous); calyx 4-cleft, toothed or entire, or sometimes wanting; 

 corolla regular, 4-cleft (or sometimes 4-petalous, or even wanting altogether); sta- 

 mens only 2 (or rarely 4); ovary 2-celled with usually 2 suspended ovules in each cell. 

 Fruit fleshy or capsular, containing 4 (or fewer) seeds. 



Represented by trees and shrubs. 



GENUS FRAXINUS, TOURN. 



Leaves petioled, oddly-pinnate, with 3-15 toothed or entire leaflets. Flowers small, 

 racemed or panicled, from the axils of the last year's leaves, the American repre- 

 sentatives dioscious and apetalous; calyx and corolla, when present, as described for 

 the order; anthers large, linear or oblong; style single, stigma 2-cleft. Fruit a 

 1-2-celled, flattened samara, winged at the apex, 1-2 pendulous seeds in each cell. 



("Fraxitius" is the ancient Latin name of the Ash; supposed to be from the Greek 

 cppa'&S, a separation, alluding to the facility with which the wood splits.) 



31- FRAXINUS PUBESCENS, LAM. 



RED ASH, GRAY ASH. 



/ 

 Ger., Rotliesclie ; Fr., Frene rouge ; Sp., Fresno Colorado. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. Leaves with 7-9 ovate or eliptic-lanceolate, taper- pointed, 

 stalked leaflets 2-3 inches in length, only slightly serrate and pale beneath; petioles 

 and terete branchlets for the first season velvety pubescent. Flowers with calyx 

 present and persistent in the fruit. Fruit (samara) 1^-2 inches in length, with nar- 

 row lanceolate or oblanceolate obtuse wing, the edges of which are decurrent some- 

 what upon the calyculate and nearly terete base. 



(" Pubescens " is the Latin for pubescent in allusion to the downy covering of the 

 new twigs and petioles.) 



A tree sometimes 50 ft. (15 ni.) or more in height and 2 ft. (0.60 m.) 

 in diameter of trunk with grayish, scaly bark, closely resembling the 

 Black Ash, but with foliage and fruit resembling the White Ash. 



HABITAT. Southern Canada and eastern United States south to the 

 Gulf States, but reaching its greatest development in the north. It is 



