Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)


17/5/14



Ash trees belong to the olive family, Oleaceae. Despite the similarity of leaf shape, the Rowan or Mountain Ash, Sorbus aucuparia, and the true Ash, Fraxinus excelsior, are not closely related; in fact Rowans belong to the rose family, Rosaceae, and so are more closely related to Laurel, Blackthorn, Hawthorn and Wild Cherry.

The Ash is native to Britain. These trees, which are one of the last to burst into leaf in springtime and yet among the first to drop their leaves in the slightest of early-autumn frosts, can live for more than 400 years, reaching a height of 45m in ideal situations. They seem to do best in sheltered, sunlit locations.


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