4. Ligustrum. Corolla funnel-form, 4-cleft, the tube longer than the calyx.
1. FRÁXINUS, Tourn. Ash.
Flowers polygamous or (in our species) diœcious. Calyx small and 4-cleft, toothed, or entire, or obsolete. Petals 4, or altogether wanting in our species. Stamens 2, sometimes 3 or 4; anthers linear or oblong, large. Style single; stigma 2-cleft. Fruit a 1–2-celled samara or key-fruit, flattened, winged at the apex, 1–2-seeded. Cotyledons elliptical; radicle slender.—Light timber-trees, with petioled pinnate leaves of 3–15 either toothed or entire leaflets; the small flowers in crowded panicles or racemes from the axils of last year's leaves. (The classical Latin name.)
[*] Leaflets petiolulate; anthers linear-oblong; calyx small, persistent.
[+] Fruit winged only at the upper part of the terete or nearly terete body.
1. F. Americàna, L. (White Ash.) Branchlets and petioles glabrous; leaflets 7–9, ovate- or lance-oblong, pointed, pale and either smooth or pubescent underneath, entire or sparingly serrate or denticulate; fruit (about 1½´ long) marginless below, abruptly dilated into a lanceolate, oblanceolate, or wedge-linear wing 2 or 3 times as long as the terete cylindraceous body.—Rich or moist woods, common from the Atlantic to Minn., E. Neb. and Kan. April, May.—A large and very valuable forest tree, with gray furrowed bark, smooth gray branchlets and rusty-colored buds. Monœcious flowers rarely occur.
[++][++] Body of fruit more slender, tapering gradually from summit to base, more or less margined upward by the decurrent wing.
2. F. pubéscens, Lam. (Red Ash.) Branchlets and petioles velvety-pubescent; leaflets 7–9, ovate or oblong-lanceolate, taper-pointed, almost entire, pale or more or less pubescent beneath; fruit 1½–2´ long, the edges gradually dilated into the linear or spatulate wing.—Low grounds, throughout our range; rare west of Ohio.—Tree of middle or large size; inner face of outer bark of the branches red or cinnamon-color when fresh.
3. F. víridis, Michx. f. (Green Ash.) Glabrous throughout; leaflets 5–9, ovate or oblong-lanceolate, often wedge-shaped at the base and serrate above, bright green both sides; fruit much as in n. 2.—Along streams; common.—Intermediate forms occur with paler leaves somewhat pubescent beneath. A small or middle-sized tree.
[+][+] Fruit with compressed and wing-margined body.