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Fraxinus excelsior - L.

Ash

Author	L.	Botanical references	11, 17, 200
Family	Oleaceae	Genus	Fraxinus
Synonyms
Known Hazards	Poisonous to ruminants[76], it has also caused dermatitis in some people[76].
Range	Europe, including Britain south of latitude 64°, to N. Africa and W. Asia.
Habitat	Forming woods on calcareous soils in the wetter parts of Britain, also in oakwoods, scrub, hedges etc[17]. It is also often found on acid soils[17].
Edibility Rating	2 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	2 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Tree growing to 30m by 20m at a fast rate.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist or wet soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Canopy; Bog Garden;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Manna; Seed.

Edible Uses: Oil; Tea.

Immature seed - usually pickled by steeping in salt and vinegar, and then used as a condiment for other foods[2, 8, 66, 183]. The leaves are sometimes used as an adulterant for tea[2, 177, 183]. A manna is obtained from the tree[183]. No further details are given. An edible oil similar to sunflower (Helianthus annuus) oil is obtained from the seed[7].

Medicinal Uses

Antiperiodic; Astringent; Carminative; Cathartic; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Laxative; Purgative; Tonic.

The leaves are astringent, cathartic, diaphoretic, mildly diuretic, laxative and purgative[4, 7, 9, 13, 21, 165, 254]. The have been used as a laxative, making a mild substitute for senna pods[254]. The leaves should be gathered in June, well dried and stored in airtight containers[4]. The bark is antiperiodic, astringent and a bitter tonic[4, 240]. Little used in modern herbalism, it is occasionally taken in the treatment of fevers[254]. The seeds, including their wings, have been used as a carminative[4]. They will store for 12 months if gathered when ripe[4].

Other Uses

Dye; Fuel; Shelterbelt; String; Tannin; Wood.

A green dye is obtained from the leaves[7]. The bark is a source of tannin[4]. A tying material can be obtained from the wood[6] (does this mean the bark?). Very tolerant of extreme exposure and relatively fast growing, though often windshaped in exposed positions, it can be grown as a shelterbelt tree[49, 200]. However, it is late coming into leaf and also one of the first trees to lose its leaves in the autumn and this makes it less suitable in a shelter belt. Wood - hard, light, flexible, strong, resilient. A very valuable wood, it is much used for tool handles, oars, furniture, posts etc[4, 6, 7, 13, 46, 66]. An excellent fuel, burning well even when green[6]. There is some doubt over how well the green wood burns with several people claiming that it needs to be properly seasoned[K].

Cultivation details

Prefers a deep loamy soil, even if it is on the heavy side[1, 200]. Most members of this genus are gross feeders and require a rich soil[11, 200]. Plants can succeed in very exposed positions, including maritime exposure, though they can become wind-shaped[49]. Thrives in alkaline soils[11] but not in shallow soils over chalk. Tolerates a pH as low as 4.5, but prefers a base-rich soil above 5.5[186]. Trees are surprisingly tolerant of seasonally water-logged soils[186]. Dislikes dryness at the roots, especially in late spring[186]. Very intolerant of shade, young plants fail to develop properly in such a position and often die. Although the dormant plant is very cold-hardy, the young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun[K]. A fast growing tree, it is sometimes cultivated for its valuable timber. Very tolerant of cutting, ash was also at one time frequently coppiced for its wood[186]. However, modern use of plastics have reduced its economic values. There are many named varieties, selected for their ornamental value[11]. Trees have a light canopy and cast little shade[186]. A food plant for many insect species, there are 41 associated insect species[24, 30]. Trees can be male, female, monoecious or hermaphrodite, they can also change sex from year to year[11]. Trees take 30 - 40 years to flower from seed[186]. The flowers are produced on one-year old wood[7]. This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

The seed is best harvested green - as soon as it is fully developed but before it has fully dried on the tree - and can then be sown immediately in a cold frame[80]. It usually germinates in the spring[80]. Stored seed requires a period of cold stratification and is best sown as soon as possible in a cold frame[200]. Approximately 5% of stored seed will germinate in the first year, the remainder germinating in the second year[186]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions or a nursery bed in late spring or early summer of the following year. If you have sufficient seed then it is possible to sow it directly into an outdoor seedbed, preferably in the autumn. Grow the seedlings on in the seedbed for 2 years before transplanting either to their permanent positions or to nursery beds. Cuttings of mature wood, placed in a sheltered outdoor bed in the winter, sometimes strike.

Cultivars

There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Trees and Shrubs for Shelterbelts: E-M.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[6] Mabey. R. Plants with a Purpose. Fontana 1979 ISBN 0-00-635555-2
Details on some of the useful wild plants of Britain. Poor on pictures but otherwise very good.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[8] Ceres. Free for All. Thorsons Publishers 1977 ISBN 0-7225-0445-4
Edible wild plants in Britain. Small booklet, nothing special.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[24] Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden. 0
Fairly good with lots of ideas about creating wildlife areas in the garden.

[30] Carter D. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan 1982 ISBN 0-330-26642-x
An excellent book on Lepidoptera, it also lists their favourite food plants.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[49] Arnold-Forster. Shrubs for the Milder Counties. 0
Trees and shrubs that grow well in Cornwall and other mild areas of Britain. Fairly good, a standard reference book.

[66] Freethy. R. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press 1985 ISBN 0-946284-51-2
Very readable, giving details on plant uses based on the authors own experiences.

[76] Cooper. M. and Johnson. A. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. HMSO 1984 ISBN 0112425291
Concentrates mainly on the effects of poisonous plants to livestock.

[80] McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985 ISBN 0-901361-21-6
Does not deal with many species but it is very comprehensive on those that it does cover. Not for casual reading.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism. 0
An excellent small herbal.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[186] Beckett. G. and K. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. Jarrold 1979
An excellent guide to native British trees and shrubs with lots of details about the plants.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers Comments

Fraxinus excelsior

Eva Wallander Tue Apr 11 2006

I doubt your source (76) claiming that ash is poisonous to ruminants, as its lelaves has been used as a fodder for a very long time.

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