Black Ash 



797 



and ovate to rotund or sometimes wider than long, and blunt or acutish; when 

 there are 2 leaflets or more to the 

 leaves they are usually sharper- 

 pointed; the flowers are borne in 

 clusters at the scars of leaves of the 

 preceding year and both perfect 

 and imperfect ones often occur in 

 the same cluster; the calyx has four 

 very small teeth; the samara is ob- 

 long, or often broader above the 

 middle than below, 1.5 to 2 cm. 

 long, I cm. wide or less, the blunt 

 or notched wing extending all 

 around the flat striated seed-bear- 

 ing part. 



The wood is hard, brown; its 

 specific gravity about 0.66. On account of its small size and limited range the 

 tree is of no considerable economic importance. 



Fig. 722. Anomalous Ash. 



2. BLACK ASH Fraxinus nigra Marshall 



Fraxiniis samhiicijolia Lambert 



Swamps and river shores are the favorite habitats of the Black ash, which grows 



naturally in such situations from New- 

 foundland through Canada to Manitoba, 

 thus ranging farther north than other spe- 

 cies, and reaches its southern Hmits in 

 Virginia, southern Illinois, Missouri, and 

 Arkansas. Under favorable conditions it 

 becomes about 30 meters high, with a trunk 

 5 dm. thick. 



The bark is thin, gray and scaly. The 

 twigs are round from the first, minutely 

 hairy when very young, but soon become 

 quite smooth. The leaflets vary from 7 to 

 II, are sessile on the leaf-axis, except the 

 end one, which is stalked, and are oblong- 

 lanceolate, long- pointed, dark green above, 

 bright green beneath and rather finely 

 toothed; they usually have some reddish 



Fig. 723. - Black Ash. ^^.^^^ j^^j^.^ ^j^^^ ^j^^ ^j^j.j^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ 



side. The flower clusters are borne on the branchlets at the scars of leaves of 

 the preceding year; the flowers are dioecious or polygamous, without calyx or 



