OLIVE FAMILY 
tour-angled and four-winged branchiets. Its samaras resem- 
ble those of the Black Ash 
surrounds the long flat body. Its wood has the qualities of 
, in that the broad wing wholly 
the other ashes and probably is not distinguished commer- 
cially from them. The tree is recommended for park plant- 
ing as it is hardy and grows rapidly, and its foliage is a rich, 
dark, shining green. 
The inner bark yieids a blue color to water, whence its 
common name. 
BLACK ASH 
Fréxinus nigra. Fradxinus sambucifolia, 
A tall, slender tree, with narrow head of slender upright branches. 
Loves deep cold swamps and muddy banks of streams. Is distrib- 
uted from Newfoundland to Manitoba, southward to Delaware and 
Virginia. 
Bark,—Granite gray, fissured, surface scaly. Branchlets stout, 
terete, dark green at first, later ashy gray or yellowish, finally dark 
gray. 
IVood.—Dark brown, sapwood light brown or white; heavy, 
rather soft, tough, coarse-grained. Used for barrel hoops, baskets, 
cabinet work and interior of houses. Sp. gr., 0.6318; weight of cu. 
ft., 39.37 lbs. 
Winter Buds.—Wark, almost black, ovate, acute at apex; outer 
scales fall when spring growth begins, inner scales enlarge and be 
come green. 
Leaves.—Opposite, pinnately compound, twelve to sixteen inches 
long. Leaflets seven to eleven, sessile except the terminal, oblong 
or oblong-lanceolate, three to five inches long, one to two inches 
wide, unequally wedge-shaped or rounded at base, slightly serrate, 
acute or acuminate. They come out of the bud conduplicate, 
downy with rusty hairs, when full grown dark green, smooth above. 
paler beneath and smooth, except the midrib which is hairy. Feather- 
veined, midrib and primary veins conspicuous. In autumn they 
turn rusty brown and fall early. Petioles smooth, swollen at base, 
flattened or grooved. 
Flowers.—May, before the leaves. Polygamous, without calyx or 
corolla. Borne in lengthened panicles four or five inches Jong which 
are opposite, single or in threes, in the axils of last year’s leaves, 
many-bracted. Staminate flowers are borne on separate trees or 
mixed with perfect flowers on trees which produce pistillate ones. 
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