426 FOKEST TREES OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE. 



and at Stockton in San Joaquin County. Also reported south of San Francisco in coast 

 ranges in San Mateo County and elsewhere ; in Sierras also noted in Kaweah River Val- 

 ley, «and in southern California coast ranges near Los Angeles, in San Gabriel and Lytle 

 Creek Canyons. 



OCCURRENCE. 



In vicinity of streams, on alluvial bottoms and flats ; in rich, deep, humous, sandy 

 soils or in moist, rocky, gravelly ones ; largest in richer sites (southwestern Oregon) 

 and correspondingly small or stunted in poorer situations. At north, occasionally in 

 very small pure patches, but usually in rather close stands with red alder, broadleaf 

 maple, California laurel, occasional grand fir, and Pacific post oak ; at south, with white 

 alder and California sycamore. 



Climatic Conditions. — In north, similar to those of grand fir, and in south, to those 

 of Fremont cottonwood. 



Tolerance. — Decidedly intolerant of shade throughout life, except in very early seedling 

 stages, which endure only slight shade. Side shade quickly cleans its stems of limbs and 

 •in close stands produces long trunks with small crowns in full light. 



Reproduction.- — Abundant annual seeder in open stands or when isolated. Seed has 

 medium high rate of germination and persistent vitality. Germination best and usually 

 abundant on moist or rather wet humous soils ; scanty in sandy and gravelly stream bot- 

 toms, owing to fact that much of seed is carried to unfavorable places by seasonal flood 

 waters. In richer soils early height growth is very rapid^. 



Fraxhms n hit in a Torrey. 



DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS. 



Fraxinus velutina has no field name, except " ash," and has no prominent 

 characters upon which to base a good common name. Probably not distin- 

 guished by laymen from other southwestern ashes. Ordinarily a rather slender, 

 short-trunked tree from 20 to 30 feet high, with a grayish, sometimes faintly 

 reddish, regularly seamed and broadly ridged trunk from 5 to 8 inches through ; 

 surface of the bark is rather soft and scaly. The dense crowns of large trees are 

 broad, rounded, and symmetrical. Twigs of a season's growth are usually red- 

 dish brown — sometimes dull grayish and covered with matted, fine woolly hairs, 

 but often smooth and with a whitish tint, which can be rubbed off. Mature 

 leaves (fig. 203), about 4 to 6 inches long, have from 3 to Othickish, somewhat 

 leathery leaflets, which are smooth, deep yellowish-green on their top sides, 

 lighter and more or less softly downy beneath. Angles of veins also hairy. 

 Leaflets are from 3 to 4, sometimes 5, inches long, and one-third to seven-eighths 

 inch wide; partly entire; indistinctly and distantly toothed, mainly above the 

 middle, the points of the teeth turned in. Flowers appear with the growing 

 leaves and are of two sexes, male and female, each kind borne on different trees, 

 only the female trees bearing seed. Mature fruit (fig. 203) is in thick clusters 

 3i to 5 inches long, the wings about one-fourth inch wide and as long as the 

 body of the seed. Wood, pale brown and with a very thick layer of sapwood; 

 moderately heavy, firm, fine-grained ; cuts and works easily, but is rather brit- 

 tle. Although usually finer-grained, it resembles the white ash timber of eastern 

 markets. Except for the small size of available sticks, the quality is suit- 

 able for many of the same uses. The occurrence of the tree in the Pacific 

 region is too rare to give the wood economic importance there. In the writer's 

 opinion this is one of the best southwestern ashes for experimental planting in 

 arid regions. 



Longevity. — Not fully determined. One tree 15£ inches in diameter showed 

 an age of 114 years. 



RANGE. 



From western Texas (mountains) through southern New Mexico and Arizona to south- 

 ern Nevada and southeastern California (Panamint Mountains and Owens Lake). 



