Distribution. Texas, banks of streams and mountain cañons, valley of the Colorado River (Bastrop and Travis Counties), and those of the San Antonio and Nueces Rivers to the lower Rio Grande, and over the Edwards Plateau to Palo Pinto County; in northeastern Mexico.
14. [Fraxinus velutina] Torr.
Leaves 4′—5′ long, with a broad densely villose petiole grooved like the slender rachis on the upper side, and 3—5 elliptic to ovate or slightly obovate leaflets acute at apex, narrowed and rounded or cuneate at base, finely crenulate-serrate above the middle, pubescent above and tomentose below when they unfold, and at maturity thick, pale green, glabrous on the upper surface, tomentose on the lower surface, 1′—1½′ long and ¾′—1′ wide, with a prominent midrib and primary veins, and conspicuous reticulate veinlets; petiolules of the lateral leaflets ⅙′ or less or that of the terminal leaflet up to ½′ in length. Flowers diœcious, appearing in March and April with the unfolding of the leaves, on long slender pedicels in elongated pubescent panicles, covered in the bud by broad-ovate tomentose scales rounded at apex; calyx cup-shaped, densely pubescent; stamens, with short slender filaments and oblong apiculate anthers; ovary nearly inclosed in the calyx, shorter than the nearly sessile lobes of the stigma. Fruit ripening in September, on slender villose pedicels, in large many-fruited clusters, oblong-obovate to elliptic, surrounded at base by the enlarged deeply divided calyx, rarely more than ¾′ long and ⅙′ wide, the wing terminal, rounded and often emarginate or acute at apex, shorter than the terete many-rayed clavate body attenuate at base and 5/12′—½′ in length.
A slender tree, 25°—30°, rarely 40°—50° high, with a trunk 12′—18′ in diameter, stout often spreading branches forming a round-topped head, and slender terete branchlets coated during their first season with hoary tomentum, and ashy gray, glabrous and marked by large obcordate dark leaf-scars in their second year. Winter-buds: terminal acute, ⅛′ long, with 3 pairs of broad-ovate pointed tomentose scales, those of the inner pair strap-shaped and ½′ long when fully grown. Bark of the trunk ⅓′—½′ thick, gray slightly tinged with red, and deeply divided into broad flat broken ridges separating on the surface into small thin scales. Wood heavy, rather soft, not strong, close-grained, light brown, with thick lighter colored sapwood; used locally for axe-handles and in the manufacture of wagons.
Distribution. Mountain cañons up to altitudes of 6000°, central and southern Arizona and southern New Mexico. Passing into the following varieties: var. coriacea Rehd. (Fraxinus coriacea S. Wats.) differing in its thicker more coriaceous often more coarsely serrate leaflets and in the less densely pubescent or glabrescent branchlets; southern Utah (St. George, Washington County) to southeastern California; var. glabra Rehd. with glabrous 3—7-foliolate leaves and glabrous branchlets; common with the species; occasionally cultivated in the cities of Arizona; more distinct is
Fraxinus velutina var. Toumeyi Rehd.
Fraxinus Toumeyi Britt.
Leaves 3½′—6′ long, with a villose-pubescent petiole, and 5—7 lanceolate to elliptic or rarely obovate acuminate and long-pointed or acute leaflets, finely serrate above the middle, glabrous on the upper surface, covered on the lower surface with close fine pubescence, 1½′—3′ long and ½′—1′ wide; petiolules slender, pubescent, ⅛′—½′ or that of the terminal leaflet up to 1′ in length; occasionally on vigorous shoots reduced to a single leaflet. Flowers as in the species. Fruit narrow-oblong, 1′ long and often not more than 1/12′ wide, or spatulate with the wing longer or shorter than the body, and sometimes only about ¾′ long and 1/16′ wide, with the wing longer or not more than half the length of the body.