Fraxinus nigra
| Fraxinus nigra | ||||||||||||||
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 Least Concern | ||||||||||||||
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| Fraxinus nigra Marshall |
Fraxinus nigra (Black Ash) is a species of Fraxinus (ash) native to much of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, from western Newfoundland west to southeastern Manitoba, and south to Illinois and northern Virginia.[1]
It is a medium-sized deciduous tree reaching 15–20 m (exceptionally 26 m) tall with a trunk up to 60 cm (exceptionally 160 cm) diameter. The bark is grey, thick and corky even on young trees, becoming scaly and fissured with age. The winter buds are dark brown to blackish, with a velvety texture. The leaves are opposite, pinnate, with 7–13 (most often 9) leaflets; each leaf is 20–45 cm long, the leaflets 7–16 cm long and 2.5–5 cm broad, with a finely toothed margin. The leaflets are sessile, directly attached to the rachis without a petiolule. The flowers are produced in spring shortly before the new leaves, in loose panicles; they are inconspicuous with no petals, and are wind-pollinated. The fruit is a samara 2.5–4.5 cm long comprising a single seed 2 cm long with an elongated apical wing 1.5–2 cm long and 6–8 mm broad.[2][3][4]
Ecology
It commonly occurs in swamps, often with the closely related Green Ash. The fall foliage is yellow. Black Ash is one of the first trees to lose its leaves in the fall.
Black Ash is a food plant for the larvae of several species of Lepidoptera; see List of Lepidoptera that feed on ashes.
Uses
The wood is used by Native Americans of the North East for making baskets and other devices. Also called Basket Ash, Brown Ash, Swamp Ash, hoop ash, and water ash. It is also a popular wood for making guitars, due to it's good resonant qualities.[5]
References
- Germplasm Resources Information Network: Fraxinus nigra
- New Brunswick tree and shrub: Fraxinus nigra
- Virtual Herbarium of the Chicago Region: Fraxinus nigra
- USDA Forest Service Silvics Manual: Fraxinus nigra
- http://www.jemsite.com/jem/wood.htm
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Fraxinus nigra". Image Credit.
