Fifty Common Trees of New York 



61 



50. BLACK ASH 



(Fraxinus nigra Marshall) 



Black ash, like the spruce, the balsam fir, and the larch, is a tree of 

 cold, deep swamps. It is common in moist places over most of New 

 York State and in the central and southern parts it forms with swamp 



white oak and hemlock the 

 main timber species of the 

 swamps. Its wood is heavy, 

 rather soft, tough, coarse- 

 grained, and durable. Be- 

 cause of its toughness, the 

 wood is used for hoops, 

 chair bottoms, and bas- 

 kets. 



Bark— ashy gray in 

 color, somewhat furrowed 

 but generally without deep 

 ridges, forming thin 

 smoothish scales which are 

 easily rubbed off. 



Twigs — very stout, simi- 

 lar to those of white ash 

 but not shiny and usually 

 a lighter gray in color. 

 Winter buds — buds resembling those of white ash though usually de- 

 cidedlj- black ; terminal bud as long or longer than broad, sharp-pointed ; 

 lateral buds much smaller, blunt-pointed; last pair of lateral buds at 

 some distance from the terminal bud instead of nearly on a level with it 

 as in the white ash. 



Leaves — opposite, compound, from 10 to 14 inches long, with from 7 to 

 11 leaflets ; leaflets similar to those of white ash but much longer in pro- 

 portion to their width, without stems. 



Fruit — a winged seed, similar to that of white ash though the wing is 

 broader and distinctly notched at the tip ; in clusters, ripening in the 

 early autumn. 



BLACK ASH 

 Twig, natural size ; leaf and fruit, one-third 

 natural size 



