THE HORSECHESTNUT, ASH AND MAPLE 35 



THE WHITE ASH (Fraxinus americana) 



Distinguishing characters : The terminal twigs of glossy 

 olive green color are flattened below the bud. Fig. 22. 

 The bud is rusty-brown. 



Leaf: Five to nine leaflets. 

 Fig. 23. 



Form and size: A large tree 

 with a straight trunk. 



Range : Eastern North Amer- 

 ica. 



Soil and location: Rich, 

 moist soil. 



Enemies: In cities it is very 

 often attacked by sucking in- 

 sects. 



Value for planting : The 

 white ash grows rapidly. On 

 account of its insect enemies in 

 cities, it should be used more for 

 forest planting and only oc- 

 casionally for ornament. 



Commercial value: It has a 

 heavy, tough, and strong wood, 

 which is valuable in the manu- 

 facture of cooperage stock, agri- 

 cultural implements, and carriages, 

 to the black ash. 



Other characters: The bark is gray. The flowers 

 appear in May. 



Comparisons : The white ash is apt to be confused with 

 the black ash (Fraxinus nigra), but differs from the latter 



FIG. 22. Twig of White Ash. 



It is superior in value 



