Everything about Fraxinus Nigra totally explained
Fraxinus nigra (
Black Ash) is a species of
Fraxinus (ash) native to much of eastern
Canada and the northeastern
United States, from western
Newfoundland west to southeastern
Manitoba, and south to
Illinois and northern
Virginia.
It is a medium-sized
deciduous tree reaching 15–20 m (exceptionally 26 m) tall with a trunk up to 60 cm (exceptionally 160 cm) diameter. The
bark is grey, thick and corky even on young trees, becoming scaly and fissured with age. The winter buds are dark brown to blackish, with a velvety texture. The
leaves are opposite, pinnate, with 7–13 (most often 9) leaflets; each leaf is 20–45 cm long, the leaflets 7–16 cm long and 2.5–5 cm broad, with a finely toothed margin. The leaflets are sessile, directly attached to the rachis without a
petiolule. The
flowers are produced in spring shortly before the new leaves, in loose
panicles; they're inconspicuous with no petals, and are wind-pollinated. The
fruit is a
samara 2.5–4.5 cm long comprising a single
seed 2 cm long with an elongated apical wing 1.5–2 cm long and 6–8 mm broad.
Ecology
It commonly occurs in
swamps, often with the closely related
Green Ash. The fall foliage is yellow. Black Ash is one of the first trees to lose its leaves in the fall.
Black Ash is a food plant for the
larvae of several species of
Lepidoptera; see
List of Lepidoptera that feed on ashes.
Uses
The wood is used by Native Americans of the North East for making baskets and other devices. The
Shakers also made extensive use of the Black Ash for creating baskets. Also called Basket Ash, Brown Ash, Swamp Ash, hoop ash, and water ash.
It is also a popular wood for making guitars and basses, due to its good resonant qualities.
Creating Basket Strips
Black ash is unique among all trees in North America in that it doesn't have fibers connecting the growth rings to each other. This has a wonderful implication for basket makers. Temperate trees form annual growth rings of two types of wood. Spring wood is rapidly laid down early in the growing season and is weak. Summer wood is laid down slowly in the summer and fall, and is much darker and tougher. By literally pounding on the wood with a mallet, the spring wood is crushed, allowing the summer wood to be peeled off in long strips. The absence of the connecting fibers is what allows the summer wood strips to separate. It is these long strips that are trimmed and cleaned and then used in basket weaving.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Fraxinus Nigra'.
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