92 FOREST TREES. 
is common in the Western States. It is a very hand- 
some tree, with bright-green, glossy leaves, which are 
nearly alike on both sides. The wood possesses the 
same properties which distinguish other species of 
Ash. Itisof vigorous and rapid growth, and nothing 
but its smaller size renders it less eligible for culture 
than the preceding. It is propagated like the rest. 
The seed germinates readily if sown dry in spring— 
that of the White and Blue Ash will not. 
6. Fraxinus excelsior—Huropean Ash. 
Leaflets, subsessile, oblong-lanceolate, alternate, 
serrate; flowers, without petals; seeds, emarginate at 
the apex. 
The European Ash is a large and lofty tree, grow- 
ing in situations analogous to those in which the 
White Ash and Red Ash are found in America. 
Several varieties are cultivated in the United States 
for ornament. It is propagated in European nurse- 
ries for forest planting, and is considered one of the 
most valuable kinds of timber. It is, nevertheless, 
confessedly inferior to the White Ash and Blue Ash 
in the very qualities for which it is most valued; there 
is, therefore, no reason for recommending it for forest 
culture in America. 
Another species of Ash of small size, F. platycarpa 
—the Carolina Water Ash—is found in swamps in 
the Southern States, but does not appear to merit 
notice as a forest tree. 
