Fraxinus excelsior
| Fraxinus excelsior | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 98' |
| Width: | 66' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Fraxinus excelsior (common name: ash)
Propagation: The seed is best harvested green - as soon as it is fully developed but before it has fully dried on the tree - and can then be sown immediately in a cold frame[1]. It usually germinates in the spring[1]. Stored seed requires a period of cold stratification and is best sown as soon as possible in a cold frame[2]. Approximately 5% of stored seed will germinate in the first year, the remainder germinating in the second year[3]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions or a nursery bed in late spring or early summer of the following year.
If you have sufficient seed then it is possible to sow it directly into an outdoor seedbed, preferably in the autumn. Grow the seedlings on in the seedbed for 2 years before transplanting either to their permanent positions or to nursery beds.
Cuttings of mature wood, placed in a sheltered outdoor bed in the winter, sometimes strike.
Cultivation: Prefers a deep loamy soil, even if it is on the heavy side[4][2]. Most members of this genus are gross feeders and require a rich soil[5][2]. Plants can succeed in very exposed positions, including maritime exposure, though they can become wind-shaped[6]. Thrives in alkaline soils[5] but not in shallow soils over chalk. Tolerates a pH as low as 4.5, but prefers a base-rich soil above 5.5[3]. Trees are surprisingly tolerant of seasonally water-logged soils[3]. Dislikes dryness at the roots, especially in late spring[3]. Very intolerant of shade, young plants fail to develop properly in such a position and often die.
Although the dormant plant is very cold-hardy, the young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun[K].
A fast growing tree, it is sometimes cultivated for its valuable timber. Very tolerant of cutting, ash was also at one time frequently coppiced for its wood[3]. However, modern use of plastics have reduced its economic values.
There are many named varieties, selected for their ornamental value[5].
Trees have a light canopy and cast little shade[3].
A food plant for many insect species, there are 41 associated insect species[7][8].
Trees can be male, female, monoecious or hermaphrodite, they can also change sex from year to year[5]. Trees take 30 - 40 years to flower from seed[3]. The flowers are produced on one-year old wood[9].
This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[2].
Range: Europe, including Britain south of latitude 64°, to N. Africa and W. Asia.
Habitat: Forming woods on calcareous soils in the wetter parts of Britain, also in oakwoods, scrub, hedges etc[10]. It is also often found on acid soils[10].
Edibility: Immature seed - usually pickled by steeping in salt and vinegar, and then used as a condiment for other foods[11][12][13][14].
The leaves are sometimes used as an adulterant for tea[11][15][14].
A manna is obtained from the tree[14]. No further details are given.
An edible oil similar to sunflower oil is obtained from the seed[9].
Medicinal: The leaves are astringent, cathartic, diaphoretic, mildly diuretic, laxative and purgative[16][9][17][18][19][20][21]. The have been used as a laxative, making a mild substitute for senna pods[21]. The leaves should be gathered in June, well dried and stored in airtight containers[16].
The bark is antiperiodic, astringent and a bitter tonic[16][22]. Little used in modern herbalism, it is occasionally taken in the treatment of fevers[21].
The seeds, including their wings, have been used as a carminative[16]. They will store for 12 months if gathered when ripe[16].
Usage: A green dye is obtained from the leaves[9].
The bark is a source of tannin[16].
A tying material can be obtained from the wood[23] (does this mean the bark?).
Very tolerant of extreme exposure and relatively fast growing, though often windshaped in exposed positions, it can be grown as a shelterbelt tree[6][2]. However, it is late coming into leaf and also one of the first trees to lose its leaves in the autumn and this makes it less suitable in a shelter belt.
Wood - hard, light, flexible, strong, resilient. A very valuable wood, it is much used for tool handles, oars, furniture, posts etc[16][23][9][18][24][13]. An excellent fuel, burning well even when green[23]. There is some doubt over how well the green wood burns with several people claiming that it needs to be properly seasoned[K].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
Pollution: Tolerates environmental pollution.
In Leaf: Late Spring-Mid Fall
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Winter
Flower Type: Dioecious
Known Hazards: Poisonous to ruminants[25], it has also caused dermatitis in some people[25].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Beckett, Kenneth and Gillian Beckett. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. Jarrold, 1979.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Arnold-Forster, William. Shrubs for the Milder Counties.
- ↑ Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
- ↑ Carter, David. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan, 1982.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Ceres. Free for All. Thorsons Publishers, 1977.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Freethy, Ron. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press, 1985.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Mabey, Richard. Plants with a Purpose. Fontana, 1979.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Cooper, Marion. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. The Stationery Office, 1984.