Ash
Latin name
Fraxinus excelsior
Family
Oleaceae
Flowering season
Late March to May
English distribution
It is found throughout the country
See the BSBI distribution map for Ash
Habitat
Ash is common tree of woods, scrub, hedgerows and
rocky outcrops.
It is both native and planted, and used for coppicing.
Description
Ash is a tree with a greyish bark, growing up to 30m.
Both male and female flowers have no petals but are
striking on close examination.
The leaves are green with opposite, pinnate leaflets.
Buds are black in winter, on the end of upturned twigs.
The winged seeds, Ash keys, are shed in late August
and September.
Ash dieback
Ash dieback, caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus
pseudoalbidus (previously called Chalaria fraxinea),
arrived in England in 2012.
Since then it has increased steadilly, from 323 areas
affected in 2013 to 949 in 2014.
It has the potential to kill 95% of the UK's Ash.
Symptoms include: brown or black leaf stalks,
discoloured bark - from a healthy olive green to purple
and brown, and diamond-shaped lesions on branches.
This link to a Forestry Commission You tube video
shows the symptoms to look for in the field.
Infected Ash should be removed and burnt.
Another threat, the emerald ash borer, which has the
potential to kill more trees than Ash dieback was
reported in the Times (05-11-05).
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Next page: Balkan Anemone
Female flowers
Close-up of female flowers
Male flowers
Stamens and anthers
Leaves
Ash keys
Ash bud in winter