Black Ash 



797 



and ovate to rotund or sometimes wider than long, and blunt or acutish; when 

 there are 2 leaflets or more to the 

 leaves they are usually sharper- 

 pointed; the flowers are borne in 

 clusters at the scars of leaves of the 

 preceding year and both perfect 

 and imperfect ones often occur in 

 the same cluster; the calyx has four 

 very small teeth; the samara is ob- 

 long, or often broader above the 

 middle than below, 1.5 to 2 cm. 

 long, I cm. wide or less, the blunt 

 or notched wing extending all 

 around the flat striated seed-bear- 

 ing part. 



The wood is hard, brown; its 

 specific gravity about 0.66. On account of its small size and limited range the 

 tree is of no considerable economic importance. 



Fig. 722. — Anomalous Ash. 



2. BLACK ASH — Fraxinus nigra Marshall 



Fraxinus sambucijolia Lambert 



Swamps and river shores are the favorite habitats of the Black ash, which grows 



naturally in such situations from New- 

 foundland through Canada to Manitoba, 

 thus ranging farther north than other spe- 

 cies, and reaches its southern limits in 

 Virginia, southern Illinois, Missouri, and 

 Arkansas. Under favorable conditions it 

 becomes about 30 meters high, with a trunk 

 5 dm. thick. 



The bark is thin, gray and scaly. The 

 twigs are round from the first, minutely 

 hairy when very young, but soon become 

 quite smooth. The leaflets vary from 7 to 

 II, are sessile on the leaf-axis, except the 

 end one, which is stalked, and are oblong- 

 lanceolate, long-pointed, dark green above, 

 bright green beneath and rather finely 



toothed; they usually have some reddish 

 Fig. 723. - Black Ash. ^^^^^ j^^j^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ 



side. The flower clusters are borne on the branchlets at the scars of leaves of 

 the preceding year; the flowers are dioecious or polygamous, without calyx or 



