253 
1. FRAXINUS. Tuer Asues. 
Trees with furrowed bark; opposite, compound leaves; flowers 
appear in April or May in clusters from the axils of the last year’s 
leaves, the staminate and pistillate on different, or sometimes on 
the same tree; fruit a samara. 
Bark of mature trees deeply fissured; fruit not winged to 
the base. 
Wing of fruit rarely extending down on the body more 
than 1/3 of its length; body of fruit robust, round 
and rather abruptly passing into the wing. 
Shoots and main axis of the leaf smooth............. 1 F. americana. 
Shoots and main axis of the leaf velvety pubescent.. 2 F. biltmoreana. 
Wing of fruit generally extending down on the body 
more than 1/3 of its length; body of fruit flattened 
and gradually passing into the wing. 
Body of samara less than 3 mm. (1% inch) in dia- 
meter just below the wing, usually 1.5-2 mm. 
(1/16 inch); generally 3-4.5 em. (114-134 inches) 
Ione cases eet GN ace CaO Ee crib Ca ltecealic tele kere che eo arene 3 F. pennsylvanica. 
Body of samara more than 3 mm. (% inch) in dia- 
meter just below the wing, usually 45 mm. (14 
inch); samara generally 4-6 cm. (154-22 inches) 
OTA eens Se Wid one bavsatt eben alton AME ERM aay tea 4 F. Michauxii. 
Han of mature trees scaly or flaky; fruit winged to the 
ase. 
Ridges connecting leaf scars usually present; twigs 
usually 4-angled and more or less pubescent; buds 
orayemleatletshstallkedaue wacr cise oa) cel toms areas 5 F. quadrangulata. 
Ridges connecting leaf scars usually absent; twigs 
round and smooth; buds a very dark brown or 
plackewleatlets iSeSsil@ijcci: ssa tens servssien so sey ease alas 6 F. nigra. 
1. Fraxinus americana Linneus. Wuire AsH. Gray AsH. 
Plate 122. Bark on the trunks of mature trees gray, deeply fissured, 
forming numerous diamond-shaped cavities, bark on the smaller 
branches smooth and grayish-green; the season’s shoots at first 
green, becoming gray or light brown by the end of the season, smooth 
and often coated with a bloom; winter buds broadly ovate, obtuse, 
with 4 pairs of scales, appearing rusty-pubescent or reddish-brown; 
leaves 2-3 dm. (8-12 inches) long, main axis smooth, leaflets on 
stalks 0.3-2.5 em. (14-1 inch) long, the stalk of the terminal one 2-3 
times as long, leaflets 5-9, usually 7, 5-13 cm. (2-5 inches) long, 
ovate to narrow-oblong, entire or somewhat toothed, the teeth 
rarely extending to the base, base rounded, acute or oblique, acute 
at the apex, usually long taper-pointed, sometimes short taper- 
pointed, deep green and smooth above, paler beneath, usually sil- 
very, smooth or with hairs along the veins; calyx persisting on the 
fruit; fruit ripens in early fall, varies greatly on different trees in 
size and shape, the fruit of each tree is however quite uniform in 
