5. Fraxinus profúnda Bush. Swell-butt Ash. [Plate 128.] Medium or large trees with fissured bark similar to the white ash; twigs robust and velvety pubescent at least while young; leaves generally 2-4 dm. long, rachis densely pubescent, rarely almost smooth; leaflets 5-9, generally 7, on stalks 0.5-1 cm. long, the terminal one on a stalk 2-4 times as long, leaflets ovate, narrow-ovate to narrow-oblong, narrowed or rounded and oblique at the base, short or long taper-pointed at the apex, margins entire, rarely with a few short teeth, dark green and smooth above, a lighter green and densely pubescent beneath, rarely somewhat smooth; calyx persistent, generally 4-5 mm. long, rarely as short as 3 mm.; fruit ripening in September and October, linear, generally 4-6 cm. long, variable in size and shape, body about 1/3 the length of the samara, compressed or flattened and gradually narrowed to the base, the striations on the face of the body not prominent and usually not distinct the full length of the body, samara often unilateral or somewhat falcate; wings notched or merely rounded at the apex, decurrent on the body 1/4-1/2 its length, sometimes almost terminal.
FRAXINUS PROFUNDA Bush. Swell-butt or Pumpkin Ash. (× 1/2.)
Distribution.—Virginia, Indiana and Missouri, and south to Florida. In Indiana the distribution has not been determined. It is a common to an infrequent tree of the river sloughs and cypress swamps of the southwestern counties. Authentic specimens are at hand from Knox, Gibson, Posey, Perry, Bartholomew, Jackson, Marion and Daviess Counties, and specimens from Hamilton, Tipton and Starke Counties, I doubtfully refer to this species. The preferred habitat of this species is inundated swamps, and when it grows in such situations it generally develops a base swollen to a point somewhat above the water level. In Bartholomew County it was found associated with the cow oak, and the trunk resembled the white ash.
Remarks.—This species is known by authors and commercially as pumpkin ash. The wood is similar to white ash but is inferior to that species. On account of its habitat this species was little cut until the past few years when ash became scarce. During the past few years most of the deep river and cypress swamps have been invaded and all of the ash cut.
6. Fraxinus quadrangulàta Michaux. Blue Ash. [Plate 129.] Medium to large sized trees with light gray bark, not regularly fissured, scaly at least above; twigs and branchlets more or less distinctly 4-angled, the angles of vigorous shoots develop corky wings about 2 mm. high; leaves generally 2-3 dm. long; leaflets 7-11, generally 7-15 cm. long, on short stalks, usually 1-5 mm. long, sometimes sessile, the terminal one on a stalk generally about 1-2 cm. long, leaflets ovate to lanceolate, narrowed or rounded at the base, generally long acuminate at the apex, margins rather regularly and coarsely serrated with short incurved teeth, yellow-green and smooth above, about the same color beneath and generally smooth except along the veins, midrib and petiolules which are permanently pubescent; calyx very small, usually about 0.5 mm. long, and persisting more or less in fruit; fruit ripens last of June to August, samaras twisted, generally 3-4 cm. long and 8-10 mm. wide, rounded at the base, notched or rounded and apiculate at the apex, the apical end of all specimens at hand twisted to the right, the wing surrounds the body.
Distribution.—Southern Ontario to Iowa, and south to northern Alabama and Arkansas. Found sparingly in most parts of Indiana, except the northwest part. There are no records northwest of White and Noble Counties. In the northern two-thirds of the State it is a rare to very rare tree, generally found only along the bluffs of streams. In many areas it is so rare that even the pioneers do not know the tree. It was the most frequent in the southeastern part of the State. Here also it is found principally along the higher banks of streams. While the species is confined principally to high ground it also grew in lower ground. The largest tree seen is on level ground at a fork of the road between Charlestown and Jeffersonville about 3 miles northeast of Jeffersonville. In 1918 this tree measured 28.2 dm. (1041/2 inches) in circumference breast high.