570 



FRAXINUS 



ashes on account of its suspectibility to injury by spring frost. Its broadly 

 winged fruits, which Sargent says are borne on the previous year's wood in 

 great clusters, have not been produced in Britain. It is a valuable tree in 

 the Far East, and attains to noble dimensions there. The leaf is distinct in 

 the conspicuous sunken veins above, correspondingly prominent beneath. 

 Closely allied to F. nigra. 



F. MARIESII, Hooker fil. MARIES' ASH. 



A small deciduous tree, forming a rounded, bushy head of branches, and 

 apparently unlikely to be more than 1 5 to 20 ft. high ; branchlets and buds 

 greyish, downy. Leaves 3 to 7 ins. long, with three or five leaflets attached 

 to the upper third of the main leaf-stalk, which is scurfy % and purplish on the 

 upper side, and has a swollen, dark purple base. Leaflets oval or ovate, 



FRAXINUS MARIESII (in fruit). 



i to 3^ ins. long, ,-| to if ins. wide ; the apex abruptly tapered, the base 

 rounded or wedge-shaped ; shallowly toothed or almost entire ; dull green, 

 smooth; stalks of side leaflets ^ to \ in. long, that of the terminal leaflet 

 up to | in. long ; all purple at the base. Flowers creamy white, in axillary 

 and terminal panicles 3 to 6 ins. long ; produced in June. Fruits \ to i^ ins. 

 long, \ to J in. wide ; very handsome in July, when they become deep purple. 



Native of Central China ; introduced by Maries for Messrs Veitch in 

 1878. Of the flowering ashes (Onus group) this is, I consider, the most 

 ornamental, being very pretty both in flower and fruit. Being of slow growth 

 and never of large size, it is admirable for small gardens. 



F. NIGRA, Marshall. BLACK ASH. 



(F. sambucifolia, Lamarck?) 



A native of Eastern X. America, whence it was introduced to England in 

 1800, this ash has never been a success, and appears to be unworthy of 



