''Fraxinus'' (),
commonly called ash, is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...
s in the
olive
The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ' ...
and
lilac
''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonl ...
family,
Oleaceae
Oleaceae, also known as the olive family, is a taxonomic family of flowering shrubs, trees, and a few lianas in the order Lamiales, It presently comprises 28 genera, one of which is recently extinct.Peter S. Green. 2004. "Oleaceae". pages 296-306 ...
. It contains 45–65 species of usually medium to large
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s, mostly
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
, though a number of
subtropical
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north a ...
species are
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...
. The genus is widespread across much of Europe, Asia, and North America.
The
leaves
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...
are
opposite (rarely in
whorl
A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs).
Whorls in nature
File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...
s of three), and mostly
pinnately compound, though simple in a few
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
. The
seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...
s, popularly known as "keys" or "helicopter seeds", are a type of
fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...
known as a
samara
Samara ( rus, Сама́ра, p=sɐˈmarə), known from 1935 to 1991 as Kuybyshev (; ), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara rivers, with a population ...
. Some ''Fraxinus'' species are
dioecious
Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproducti ...
, having male and female flowers on separate plants but sex in ash is expressed as a continuum between male and female individuals, dominated by unisexual trees. With age, ash may change their sexual function from predominantly male and hermaphrodite towards femaleness ; if grown as an ornamental and both sexes are present, ashes can cause a considerable litter problem with their seeds.
Rowan
The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus'' of the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the Himalaya ...
s or mountain ashes have leaves and buds superficially similar to those of true ashes, but belong to the unrelated genus ''
Sorbus
''Sorbus'' is a genus of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family, Rosaceae. Species of ''Sorbus'' (''s.l.'') are commonly known as whitebeam, rowan ( mountain-ash) and service tree. The exact number of species is disputed depe ...
'' in the
rose family.
Etymology
The tree's common English name, "ash", traces back to the
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...
''æsc'', which relates to the proto-Indo-European for the tree, while the generic name originated in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
from a proto-Indo-European word for birch. Both words are also used to mean "
spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastene ...
" in their respective languages, as the wood is good for shafts.
Selected species
Species are arranged into sections supported by phylogenetic analysis:
; Section ''Dipetalae''
* ''
Fraxinus anomala
''Fraxinus anomala'' is a species of ash tree known by the common name single-leaf ash. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in a number of habitats including desert scrub and chaparral. It is unus ...
''
Torr. ex S.Watson – singleleaf ash
* ''
Fraxinus dipetala''
Hook. & Arn. – California ash or two-petal ash
* ''
Fraxinus parryi''
Moran – Chaparral ash
* ''
Fraxinus quadrangulata''
Michx. – blue ash
* ''
Fraxinus trifoliolata''
; Section ''Fraxinus''
* ''
Fraxinus angustifolia
''Fraxinus angustifolia'', the narrow-leaved ash, is a species of ''Fraxinus'' native to central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia.Flora Europaea''Fraxinus angustifolia''/ref>Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and ...
''
Vahl – narrow-leaved ash
** ''
Fraxinus angustifolia
''Fraxinus angustifolia'', the narrow-leaved ash, is a species of ''Fraxinus'' native to central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia.Flora Europaea''Fraxinus angustifolia''/ref>Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and ...
'' subsp. ''oxycarpa''
– Caucasian ash
** ''
Fraxinus angustifolia
''Fraxinus angustifolia'', the narrow-leaved ash, is a species of ''Fraxinus'' native to central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia.Flora Europaea''Fraxinus angustifolia''/ref>Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and ...
'' subsp. ''syriaca''
* ''
Fraxinus excelsior''
L. – European ash
* ''
Fraxinus holotricha''
Koehne
* ''
Fraxinus mandshurica
''Fraxinus mandshurica'', the Manchurian ash, is a species of ''Fraxinus'' native to northeastern Asia in northern China (Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Jilin, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Shanxi), Korea, Japan and southeastern Russia (Sakhal ...
''
Rupr. – Manchurian ash
* ''
Fraxinus nigra''
Marshall – black ash
* ''
Fraxinus pallisiae
''Fraxinus pallisiae'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Oleaceae.
Its native range is Southeastern Europe to Moldova, Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, ma ...
''
Wilmott – Pallis' ash
* ''
Fraxinus sogdiana
''Fraxinus sogdiana'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Oleaceae.
Its native range is Afghanistan to northwestern China and western Pakistan.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1024066
sogdiana
Sogdia ( Sogdian: ) or Sogd ...
''
; Section ''Melioides sensu lato
* ''
Fraxinus chiisanensis''
* ''
Fraxinus cuspidata''
Torr. – fragrant ash
* ''
Fraxinus platypoda''
* ''
Fraxinus spaethiana''
Lingelsh. – Späth's ash
; Section ''Melioides sensu stricto
* ''
Fraxinus albicans''
Buckley – Texas ash
* ''
Fraxinus americana''
L. – white ash or American ash
* ''
Fraxinus berlandieriana
''Fraxinus berlandieriana'', the Mexican ash, is a tree native to eastern and northeastern Mexico and to the south-central United States. It has been reported from Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Li ...
''
DC. – Mexican ash
* ''
Fraxinus caroliniana
''Fraxinus caroliniana'', the pop ash, Florida ash, swamp ash, Carolina ash, or water ash, is a species of ash tree native from Cuba through the subtropical southeastern United States from southern Virginia to Texas. It was originally described ...
''
Mill. – Carolina ash
* ''
Fraxinus latifolia
''Fraxinus latifolia'', the Oregon ash, is a member of the ash genus ''Fraxinus'', native to western North America.
Description
''Fraxinus latifolia'' is a medium-sized deciduous tree that can grow to heights of in height, with a trunk diamete ...
''
Benth. – Oregon ash
* ''
Fraxinus papillosa''
Lingelsh. – Chihuahua ash
* ''
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
''Fraxinus pennsylvanica'', the green ash or red ash, is a species of ash native to eastern and central North America, from Nova Scotia west to southeastern Alberta and eastern Colorado, south to northern Florida, and southwest to Oklahoma a ...
''
Marshall – green ash
* ''
Fraxinus profunda
''Fraxinus profunda'', the pumpkin ash, is a species of ash (''Fraxinus'') native to eastern North America, where it has a scattered distribution on the Atlantic coastal plain and interior lowland river valleys from the Lake Erie basin in Ontario ...
''
(Bush) Bush – pumpkin ash
* ''
Fraxinus uhdei''
(Wenz.) Lingelsh. – Shamel ash or tropical ash
* ''
Fraxinus velutina
''Fraxinus velutina'', the velvet ash, Arizona ash or Modesto ash, is a species of ''Fraxinus'' native to southwestern North America, in the United States from southern California east to Texas, and in Mexico from northern Baja California east t ...
''
Torr. – velvet ash or Arizona ash
; Section ''Ornus''
* ''
Fraxinus apertisquamifera''
* ''
Fraxinus baroniana''
* ''
Fraxinus bungeana''
DC. – Bunge's ash
* ''
Fraxinus chinensis
''Fraxinus chinensis'', the Chinese ash, is a species of flowering trees. Its leaves are used in traditional Chinese medicine for dysentery disorders.
''Fraxinus chinensis'' is dioecious
Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a ...
''
Roxb. – Chinese ash or Korean ash
* ''
Fraxinus floribunda''
Wall. – Himalayan manna ash
* ''
Fraxinus griffithii''
C.B.Clarke – Griffith's ash
* ''
Fraxinus insularis''
Hemsl. – Chinese flowering ash
* ''
Fraxinus japonica''
– Japanese ash
* ''
Fraxinus lanuginosa'' – Japanese ash
* ''
Fraxinus longicuspis''
* ''
Fraxinus malacophylla''
* ''
Fraxinus micrantha
''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45–65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous, though a number of subtropical species are evergree ...
''
Lingelsh.
* ''
Fraxinus ornus
''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45–65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous, though a number of subtropical species are evergr ...
''
L. – manna ash or flowering ash
* ''
Fraxinus paxiana''
Lingelsh.
* ''
Fraxinus sieboldiana''
Blume – Japanese flowering ash
; Section ''Pauciflorae''
* ''
Fraxinus dubia''
* ''
Fraxinus gooddingii''
– Goodding's ash
* ''
Fraxinus greggii''
A.Gray – Gregg's ash
* ''
Fraxinus purpusii''
* ''
Fraxinus rufescens''
; Section ''Sciadanthus''
* ''
Fraxinus dimorpha''
* ''
Fraxinus hubeiensis''
Ch'u & Shang & Su – 湖北梣, ''Hubei qin''
* ''
Fraxinus xanthoxyloides''
(G.Don) Wall. ex DC. – Afghan ash
File:EurAshSeeds.jpg, Closeup of European ash seeds
File:Fraxinus ornus JPG1b.jpg, ''F. ornus''
File:Treelets on fallen Ash tree.JPG, Unusual "treelets" growing from a fallen ash tree in Lawthorn Wood, Ayrshire, Scotland
Ecology
North American native ash tree species are a critical food source for North American frogs, as their fallen leaves are particularly suitable for tadpoles to feed upon in ponds (both temporary and permanent), large puddles, and other water bodies.
Lack of tannins in the American ash makes their leaves a good food source for the frogs, but also reduces its resistance to the
ash borer. Species with higher leaf
tannin
Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.
The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'' ...
levels (including maples and non-native ash species) are taking the place of native ash, thanks to their greater resistance to the ash borer. They produce much less suitable food for the tadpoles, resulting in poor survival rates and small frog sizes.
Ash species native to North America also provide important habit and food for various other creatures native to North America. This includes the larvae of multiple long-horn beetles, as well as other insects including those in the genus
Tropidosteptes, lace bugs, aphids, larvae of gall flies, and caterpillars. Birds are also interested in black, green, and white ash trees. The black ash alone supports wood ducks, wild turkey, cardinals, pine grosbeaks, cedar waxwings, and yellow-bellied sapsuckers, with habitat and food (such as the sap being of interest to the sapsucker) among others. Many mammalian species from meadow voles eating the seeds to white-tailed deer eating the foliage to silver-haired bats nesting will also make use of ash trees.
Ash is used as a
food plant by the
larvae
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
T ...
of some
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...
species (
butterflies
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...
and
moth
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...
s).
Threats
North America
The
emerald ash borer (''Agrilus planipennis''), also called EAB, is a wood-boring
beetle
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
accidentally introduced to North America from eastern Asia via solid wood packing material in the late 1980s to early 1990s. It has killed tens of millions of trees in 22 states in the United States and adjacent
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
and
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...
in Canada. It threatens some seven billion ash trees in North America. Research is being conducted to determine if three native Asian wasps that are natural predators of EAB could be used as a
biological control for the management of EAB populations in the United States. The public is being cautioned not to transport unfinished wood products, such as firewood, to slow the spread of this insect pest.
Damage occurs when emerald ash borer larvae feed on the inner bark,
phloem, inside branches and tree trunks. Feeding on the phloem prevents nutrients and water transportation. If the ash is attacked, the branches can die and eventually the whole tree can as well. Ways to detect
emerald ash borer infestation include seeing bark peeling off, vertical cracks in the bark, seeing galleries within the tree that contain powdery substance, and D-shaped exit holes on the branches or trunk. Not all of these may be present, but any of these warning signs could be an indication of possible infestation.
Europe
The European ash, ''
Fraxinus excelsior'', has been affected by the
fungus
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately fr ...
''
Hymenoscyphus fraxineus
''Hymenoscyphus fraxineus'' () is an ascomycete fungus that causes ash Forest dieback, dieback, a chronic fungal disease of Fraxinus, ash trees in Europe characterised by leaf loss and crown dieback in infected trees. The fungus was first scient ...
'', causing
ash dieback in a large number of trees since the mid-1990s, particularly in eastern and northern Europe. The disease has infected about 90% of Denmark's ash trees.
At the end of October 2012 in the UK, the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) reported that ash dieback had been discovered in mature woodland in
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include ...
; previous occurrences had been on young trees imported from Europe. In 2016, the ash tree was reported as in danger of extinction in Europe.
Uses
Ash is a
hardwood
Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...
and is dense (within 20% of 670 kg/m
3 for ''
Fraxinus americana'',
and higher at 710 kg/m
3 for ''
Fraxinus excelsior''
),
tough
Tough may refer to:
* Toughness, the resistance to fracture of a material when stressed
* Machismo, prominently exhibited or excessive masculinity
* Psychological resilience
Tough may also refer to:
People
* Allen Tough (1936–2012), Canadian ...
and very
strong
Strong may refer to:
Education
* The Strong, an educational institution in Rochester, New York, United States
* Strong Hall (Lawrence, Kansas), an administrative hall of the University of Kansas
* Strong School, New Haven, Connecticut, United S ...
but
elastic
Elastic is a word often used to describe or identify certain types of elastomer, elastic used in garments or stretchable fabrics.
Elastic may also refer to:
Alternative name
* Rubber band, ring-shaped band of rubber used to hold objects togethe ...
, extensively used for making
bows,
tool
A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates b ...
handles,
baseball bats,
hurleys, and other uses demanding high strength and
resilience
Resilience, resilient, resiliency, or ''variation'', may refer to:
Science
Ecology
* Ecological resilience, the capacity of an ecosystem to recover from perturbations
** Climate resilience, the ability of systems to recover from climate change
* ...
.
Ash, particularly
swamp ash because of its figure, is a choice of
material
Material is a substance or mixture of substances that constitutes an object. Materials can be pure or impure, living or non-living matter. Materials can be classified on the basis of their physical and chemical properties, or on their geolo ...
for
electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...
bodies and, less commonly, for
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
bodies, known for its bright, cutting edge and sustaining quality. Some
Fender Stratocasters and
Telecasters are made of ash, (such as
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...
's Telecaster on the ''
Born to Run'' album cover), as an alternative to alder.
Ash is a
Tonewood commonly used in the manufacture of
electric guitars. It exhibits a pronounced bright tone with a scooped midrange. It's lightweight, easy to work and sand, accepts glue,
stain
A stain is a discoloration that can be clearly distinguished from the surface, material, or medium it is found upon. They are caused by the chemical or physical interaction of two dissimilar materials. Accidental staining may make materials ap ...
, paint and
finish very well and is inexpensive. All this has made it a favourite of large factories mass producing instruments. The Fender musical instrument company has been continuously and uninterruptedly using Ash to make electric guitars since 1956.
Swamp ash is used a lot in guitar building because of its figure. It is a choice of
material
Material is a substance or mixture of substances that constitutes an object. Materials can be pure or impure, living or non-living matter. Materials can be classified on the basis of their physical and chemical properties, or on their geolo ...
for
electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...
bodies and, less commonly, for
acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
bodies, known for its bright, cutting edge and sustaining quality. Some
Fender Stratocasters and
Telecasters are made of ash, (such as
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...
's Telecaster on the ''
Born to Run'' album cover), as an alternative to alder.
Ash is also used for making
drum shells.
Woodworkers generally consider ash a "poor cousin" to the other major open pore wood, oak, but it is useful in any furniture application. Ash
veneers are extensively used in office furniture. Ash is not used much outdoors due to the
heartwood having a low durability to ground contact, meaning it will typically perish within five years. The ''F. japonica'' species is favored as a material for making baseball bats by Japanese sporting-goods manufacturers.
Its robust structure, good looks, and flexibility combine to make ash ideal for staircases. Ash stairs are extremely hard-wearing, which is particularly important for treads. Due to its elasticity, ash can also be steamed and bent to produce curved stair parts such as volutes (curled sections of handrail) and intricately shaped balusters. However, a reduction in the supply of healthy trees, especially in Europe, is making ash an increasingly expensive option.
Ash was commonly used for the structural members of the bodies of cars made by carriage builders. Early cars had frames which were intended to flex as part of the suspension system to simplify construction. The
Morgan Motor Company of Great Britain still manufactures sports cars with frames made from ash. It was also widely used by early aviation pioneers for aircraft construction.
It
lights and burns easily, so is used for starting fires and
barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke ...
s, and is usable for maintaining a fire, though it produces only a moderate heat. The two most economically important species for wood production are white ash, in eastern North America, and European ash in Europe. The green ash (''
F. pennsylvanica'') is widely planted as a street tree in the United States. The inner bark of the blue ash (''
F. quadrangulata'') has been used as a source for blue
dye
A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution and ...
.
In Sicily, Italy, sugars are obtained by evaporating the sap of the
manna ash, extracted by making small cuts in the bark.The manna ash, native to southern Europe and southwest Asia, produces a blue-green sap, which has medicinal value as a mild laxative, demulcent, and weak expectorant.
The young seedpods of Ash trees, also known as "keys," are edible for human consumption. In Britain, they are traditionally pickled with vinegar, sugar and spices.
Mythology and folklore
In
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities o ...
, the
Meliae are
nymph
A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ...
s associated with the ash, perhaps specifically of the manna ash (''
Fraxinus ornus
''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45–65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous, though a number of subtropical species are evergr ...
''), as
dryads were nymphs associated with the
oak. They appear in
Hesiod
Hesiod (; grc-gre, Ἡσίοδος ''Hēsíodos'') was an ancient Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer. He is generally regarded by western authors as 'the first written poet i ...
's ''Theogony.''
In
Norse mythology
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern per ...
, a vast, evergreen ash tree
Yggdrasil ("the steed (
gallows) of
Odin
Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victory, ...
"), watered by three magical springs, serves as
axis mundi
In astronomy, axis mundi is the Latin term for the axis of Earth between the celestial poles.
In a geocentric coordinate system, this is the axis of rotation of the celestial sphere.
Consequently, in ancient Greco-Roman astronomy, the ' ...
, sustaining the nine worlds of the
cosmos in its roots and branches. ''
Askr'', the first man in Norse myth, literally means 'ash'.
In
Italian folklore, an ash stake could be used to kill a
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
.
See also
*
List of Lepidoptera that feed on ashes
*
Æ, the letter ash
References
External links
Cofrin Center for Biodiversity Herbarium, University of Wisconsin, Trees of Wisconsin, ''Fraxinus'' comparison chart
*
{{Authority control
Oleaceae genera
Trees
Medicinal plants