332 WOODY PLANTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 
Several species of Philly’rea, and the Virginian Fringe tree, 
Chionanthus Virginica, are cultivated in our gardens for their 
beauty as ornamental shrubs. 
The representative of 
2. THE LILAC TRIBE, 
THE LILAC, SYRINGA VULGARIS, 
“ Various in array, now white, 
Now sanguine, and her beauteous head now set 
With purple spikes pyramidal,” 
was one of the first plants introduced by our forefathers, and it 
is universally found: often, in the front of ancient houses, grow- 
ing almost to the size of a tree. The more delicate Persian lilac, 
S. Pérsica, is getting gradually into favor. 
8. THE ASH TRIBE. FRAXI’NEA:. Barruine. 
Distinguished by having its fruit a single samara or key, con- 
tains the genera Fraxinus and Ornus. 
XV. 2 THE ASH. FRA’ XINUS. Tournefort. 
The ashes are lofty trees, with deciduous, compound, une- 
qually pinnate, articulated leaves, axillary and terminal scaly 
and downy buds, and flowers in lateral, crowded panicles, ris- 
ing from the axis of the last year’s leaves. They are found 
abundantly in North America, in smaller numbers in Europe 
and Central Asia, rarely in Eastern Asia. 
The flowers are perfect, or wanting stamens or pistils, on dis- 
tinct plants or on the same plant: usually the two sexes are 
found on different trees. The calyx and corolla are four- parted 
or wanting. Stamenstwo. Ovary free, two-celled. The fruit 
is a one-seeded samara or key, cylindrical at base, compressed 
above, and ending in a long, membranous wing. 'The ashes 
are usually without a corolla. From this circumstance, the 
family is properly placed next those which have never a co- 
rolla. 
The ashes yield to the oaks alone in the number and import- 
ance of their uses. The timber of no other tree of Europe or 
