THE ASH. 



21 



ASH. FRAXINUS EXCELSIOR. 



STRUCTURE OF THE FLOWER AND SEED. 



The liower of the Ash is usually bisexual ; the pistil is a female 

 organ, the stamens are male organs. Occasionally the tree produces 

 flowers that are unisexual. Sometimes both types are tound on the 

 sam.e tree ; sometimes one tree bears male flowers only, another temale 

 flowers only. 



The flowers ot Fraxinus Ornus (the Manna Ash) which is not 

 a natiye of Britain, differ from those of the Fraxinus Excelsior in 

 haying both sepals and petals. 



THE SEED. 



When the truit of the Ash is split open it is found to contain 

 a small flat brown seed. The minute white embryo plant lies within 

 _^ this seed, surrounded by the 



j>i/\o-RA/^\ OF ASH "Key' 



:tt 





cn*^ 



f4at(ja.a.L SfZ.Sr ■sj- S/intoP,/* 



Store ot food from which it 

 draws its nourishment on first 

 germinating, before its leayes 

 haye turned green, or its roots 

 are able to obtain sustenance 

 trom the soil. Ash seeds do 

 not usually 2:erminate until the 



second year after they are 

 formed. The leayes of the 

 seedling (cotyledons) bear but 

 little resemblance to the leayes of the full-grown tree, for they are 

 long and narrow and tapering at both ends. The succeeding pair of 

 leaves begin to give evidence of their kinship to the Ash in their 



