White Ash
White Ash
Botanical Name: Fraxinus americana LFamily Name: Oleaceae – Olive familyOrigin: Central & Eastern N. AmericaThe white ash is a handsome tree native to eastern and central North America. It shades many parks, large yards and other sizable areas and provides exquisite fall color ranging from yellow to deep purple and maroon.
The white ash is a fast-growing tree that grows up to 80 feet with a straight trunk and a dense, rounded crown of foliage with whitish lower surfaces. The tree was named for the whitish undersides of its leaves. The leaves are opposite, and pinnately compound about 8 to 12 inches long and 1.25 to 2.5 inches wide. The leaf shape is ovate or elliptical with finely saw-toothed or almost without teeth.
Her bark is dark gray, thick with deep diamond-shaped furrows and forking ridges. The flowers are short, 0.25 inches long, purplish without corolla, usually in small clusters before leaves in early spring. The white ash is dioecious, which means male and female gametes (reproductive cells) are on separate trees.
The flowers and seeds from the white ash can be messy in your yard but they are an excellent food source for many animals. For example, birds, squirrels, turkeys, bobwhites, finches, grosbeaks, cardinals, grouse, mice and small mammals feed on the seeds of white ash. White-tailed deer eat its foliage, and it is a larval plant for Mourning Cloak Butterflies and the Tiger Swallowtail.
The white ash wood is white, quite dense, strong and straight-grained. For years, it has been very popular for making baseball bats and tool handles. It is also popular for furniture and flooring. The dense wood is also one of the best for use as firewood.
Folklore
Ancient Norse, Germanic and Celtic mythology refer to the White Ash tree as "Yggdrasil", the "guardian tree" and is thus seen as a protective spirit tree.
"Thor" the "God of Thunder" possessed magical spears made of ash wood. In Gaelic mythology, of the five "Guardian" trees, three of them were ash. Ash is the most popular of trees to grow by Irish holy wells. In parts of England, children would bring a twig of ash to school on Ash Wednesday. Ash wood was and is still used for the traditional "Yule log" ceremonies during the Christmas season.
Medicinal Uses
Many sources site the White Ash's use in ancient times as a remedy for snakebites. The tree leaves and bark are used in infusions, decoctions, and tinctures as an anti-inflammatory to soothe arthritis, arthrosis, and rheumatism. Some people created a medicinal wine from white ash leaves. The recipe involved steeping 20 leaves in one quart of white wine for three days. Strain and drink. Many enjoy herbal tea made from white ash leaves. Take one handful of leaves for one quart of water. Bring the leaves and water to a boil, turn off the heat and let it steep for 10-15 minutes. Strain and enjoy.