280 



road between Charlestown and Jeffersonville about 3 miles northeast 

 of Jeffersonville. In 1918 this tree measured 28.2 dm. (1043/ inches) 

 in circumference breast high. 



This species has not been observed in the "knob" area of the State 

 or anywhere in the flats of the Lower Wabash Valley. Schneck 

 reports it as rare on the hills of this area. The tree is too rare to 

 definitely determine its associates, although sugar maple is usually 

 found with it. 



Remarks. This species is becoming too scarce to be of much 

 economic importance. The cut is usually sold as white ash. The uses 

 of the wood are practically the same as the white ash. 



The fruit and foliage of this species most closely resembles that 

 of the black ash, from which it can be distinguished by its greenish- 

 yellow foliage and the habitat in which it grows. 



7. Fraxinus nigra Marshall. BLACK ASH. Plate 130. Medium 

 sized, tall and straight trees with a light gray bark, broken up into small 

 thin plates on old trunks; twigs round, robust and smooth at maturity; 

 leaves 2.5-4 dm. long, leaflets generally 7-11 and 7-13 cm. long, sessile, 

 the terminal one generally on a stalk 0.5-1 cm. long, oblong or oblong- 

 lanceolate, narrowed or rounded at the base, and short or 

 long acuminate at the apex, margins coarsely and rather irregularly 

 serrate with short teeth which are usually somewhat incurved, dark 

 green and glabrous above, not much lighter beneath and glabrous or 

 pubescent along the midrib and larger veins; calyx and corolla none; 

 fruit ripens the last of June to August, similar to the fruit of the 

 blue ash, samaras generally 3-4 cm. long, and 7-10 mm. wide, body 

 winged all around, the base of the samara rounded, the apex notched 

 or rounded, the apical end of the samara twisted more or less to the 

 right in all specimens at hand. 



Distribution. Nova Scotia to Manitoba, south to Virginia and 

 northern Arkansas. Local in all parts of Indiana except in the "knob" 

 area of the State. It is generally found in places that are inundated 

 much of the winter season. Its habitat is in cold swampy woods or 

 similar places about lakes. It has no special affinity for streams. It 

 is local in its distribution. Where it is found it is generally a frequent 

 to common tree. In the lake area of Indiana its habitat conditions are 

 frequent, consequently colonies of it are frequent. South of the lake 

 area of the State it becomes rare to extremely local. In the southwest 

 part of the State it has been sparingly found in a few cypress swamps. 

 It is usually associated with white elm, cottonwood, aspens, red maple, 

 bur oak, and is one of the first species to invade extinct tamarack 

 swamps. 



