Black Ash. Swamp Ash. Basket Ash. Hoop Ash. Brown Ash.
Habitat and Range.—Wet woods, river bottoms, and swamps.
Anticosti through Ontario.
Maine,—common; New Hampshire,—south of the White mountains; Vermont,—common; Massachusetts,—more common in central and western sections; Rhode Island,—infrequent; Connecticut,—occasional throughout.
South to Delaware and Virginia; west to Arkansas and Missouri.
Habit.—A tall tree reaching a height of 60-80 feet, with a trunk diameter of 1-2 feet; attaining greater dimensions southward. In swamps, when shut in by other trees, the trunk is straight, very slender, scarcely tapering to point of branching, in open situations under favorable conditions forming a large, round, open head. Easily distinguished from the other ashes by its sessile leaflets.
Bark.—Bark of trunk a soft ash-gray, in old trees marked by parallel ridges separating into fine, thin, close flakes; limbs light gray, rough-warted, the smaller with conspicuous leaf-scars; season's shoots olive green, stout; flattened at apex, with small, black, vertical dots.
Winter Buds and Leaves.—Buds roundish, pointed, very dark, the terminal ⅛ inch long. Leaves compound, opposite, 12-15 inches long; stipules none; stem grooved and smooth; leaflets 7-11, more frequently 9, 3-5 inches long, 1½-2 inches wide, green on both sides, lighter beneath and more or less hairy on the veins; outline variable, more usually oblong-lanceolate, sharply serrate; apex acuminate; base obtuse to rounded, sessile except the odd leaflets; stipels none.
Inflorescence.—May. Appearing before the leaves in loose panicles from lateral or terminal buds of the preceding season, sterile and fertile flowers on different trees; bracted; calyx none; petals none.
Fruit.—August to September. Samaras, in panicles, rather more than 1 inch long, rounded at both ends: body entirely surrounded by the wing.