Claret Ash
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The Claret Ash (or Raywood Ash) is a cultivated variety of ash tree, thought to be a seedling variant of the Desert Ash. (Fraxinus angustifolia ssp. oxycarpa). The original seedling was discovered near a group of assorted ash trees in Sewell’s nursery in the Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia about 1910, and later grown at the nearby property Raywood. The tree was introduced to Britain in 1928 and to North America in 1956, although it did not become widely available there until 1979.
The tree grows to around 15-20 metres and has dark green leaves, that turn to a dark claret red in the autumn. The bark of the tree is notably smoother than the Desert Ash, which is quite apparent on those trees grafted on Desert Ash stock.
In Australia and the United States a decline or dieback in some older trees has been observed which has been attributed to a combination of environmental stress and the presence of the fungus Botryosphaeria.
[edit] References
- Rowell, Raymond J Ornamental Flowering Trees in Australia, AH & AW Reed Pty Ltd 1980 ISBN 0-589-50178-X
