Botanical name:                  Fraxinus excelsior

Family:                                   Oleaceae

Common Name:                   Common Ash or European Ash

Habitat and Distribution

British native, abundant on damp, limy fertile soils; the climax species on the Yorkshire Wolds.

From Europe to North Africa and the Caucasus

Description

A deciduous tree that can attain a height up to 40 metres (130 ft), some old monsters have attained a trunk thickness of over 3 metres.

A tall, open, narrow domed crown rises above a smooth, pale grey trunk that becomes ridged with age.

Dark green leaves emerge in late spring from squat, conical black winter buds. Leaves have 2 rows of leaflets, usually 9-13, either side of a central stem. The leaves turn a clear yellow in autumn.

The flowers usually have no petals; clusters of tiny male and female flowers are borne together, or on separate plants in April. The male flowers are purple turning yellow when pollen is shed. Female clusters are pale green and looser in appearance.

The single winged fruit, about 4 cm long, are borne in dense, hanging clusters. They turn brown in October and remain on the tree for some time after the leaves have fallen.

Maximum age up to 200 years

Timber

A tough, heavyweight, cream to pale tan-coloured timber, with light brown heartwood and clearly marked annual rings – wood made in spring has very open pores whilst summerwood is denser. Ash is exceptionally flexible so is exploited in steam bending; unfortunately it is very prone to attack by furniture beetle.

Reaches maturity at 60-70 years.

 

Location within the arboretum:

A pair of specimens can be found on the Furniture Makers Walk.

Furniture Makers Trees at The Arboretum - Kew at Castle Howard

Uses

It is a flexible timber, bending without breaking or loosing strength and has long been used for bentwork, especially for the hoops and other bowed parts of Windsor chairs and in other country furniture. The timber is steamed and bent round a former when wet, then clamped in position. It retains its new shape, without springing back, when dry.

Ash is extensively used for cabinet making (often used as drawer sides) and furniture, in chair making especially for the slats of ladder-back chairs. It is also used for fancy turning and laminated articles.

With a high resistance to impact shocks, it is also widely used for tool handles (such as pick axes) and also for sports equipment (such as hockey sticks, oars, paddles, rudders, billiard cues, cricket stumps, and polo mallets). It is also used for policemen's truncheons.

Olive Ash and Ripple Ash have decorative figuring that is valuable for veneers

 

 

Tree in February

Bark

Buds in winter

Typical arrangement of leaves

Flowers

Cluster of fruit - late summer

Dried fruit—February

Cross section showing annual rings and radial cracks

Mottled ash

Olive ash

Ash

Olive ash

Ripple olive ash

Ripple ash

Olive burl ash

Olive ash

Olive ash used for car fascia and trimmings

Side table burl olive ash veneer

Coffee table in burl olive ash