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Fraxinus nigra - Marshall.

Black Ash

Author	Marshall.	Botanical references	11, 43, 200
Family	Oleaceae	Genus	Fraxinus
Synonyms	Fraxinus sambucifolia - Lam.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	North-eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Manitoba, south to Virginia and Iowa.
Habitat	Deep cold swamps, river banks and shores, tolerating some standing water[43, 82, 229].
Edibility Rating	0 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Tree growing to 25m.

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

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Canopy; Bog Garden;

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Laxative; Ophthalmic; Tonic.

The leaves are diaphoretic, diuretic, laxative[4]. They should be gathered in June, well dried and stored in airtight containers[4]. The inner bark has been used as a tonic for the liver and stomach, to check vaginal discharge and to treat painful urination[257]. An infusion of the inner bark has been used as an eye wash for sore eyes[257].

Other Uses

Basketry; Dye; Fuel; Wood.

Logs of wood can be beaten with mauls to separate the growth layers, these layers can then be cut into strips and woven into baskets[257]. A blue dye can be obtained from the bark[257]. Wood - not strong, rather soft, durable, heavy, tough, coarse-grained, easily separated into thin layers. It weighs 39lb per cubic foot. Largely used for making furniture, cabinet making, interior finish and veneer[46, 61, 82, 171, 229, 235]. The wood makes a good fuel, it does not crackle or shoot sparks like many other woods[257]. If the wood is soaked in water and then pounded, it separates easily into thin sheets[226]. These sheets have then been used to make woven baskets, barrel hoops, chair seats etc[226].

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]. A plant of swamps in the wild, in Britain this species requires a moist to wet soil[200]. It succeeds when growing in exposed positions[200] and also in alkaline soils[11]. Plants are tolerant of atmospheric pollution[200]. A moderate to slow-growing tree in the wild[229], it is not a great success in Britain, where it is often damaged by late frosts[11]. This species is closely related to F. mandschurica[200]. Trees can bear hermaphrodite flowers, separate male and female flowers, or flowers of one sex only[229].

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]. 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.

Links

References

[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]).

[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.

[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.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[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.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[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.

[82] Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[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.

[226] Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989 ISBN 0889025649
Very good on identification for non-experts, the book also has a lot of information on plant uses.

[229] Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980 ISBN 0442238622
A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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