Fraxinus nigra
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| iBlack Ash | ||||||||||||||
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| Fraxinus nigra Marsh |
Fraxinus nigra, the Black Ash, is a species of ash which occurs in the northeastern United States and much of eastern Canada, from Newfoundland west to southern Manitoba, and south to Illinois and northern Virginia.
Also called Basket Ash, Brown Ash or Swamp Ash. It is sought after by native Americans of the North East for making baskets and other devices.
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 leaves are opposite, pinnate, with 7-13 leaflets; each leaf is 30-40 cm long, the leaflets 7-12 cm long and 3-4 cm broad, with a finely toothed margin. The leaflets are sessile, being attached directly to the rachis without a pedicel. 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 comprising a single seed 2 cm long with an elongated apical wing 1.5-2 cm long and 6-8 mm broad.
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.
