Part 59

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Collected along New River, Fayette County; reported from Randolph, Upshur, Wood and Mason counties.

=Habitat=.—Prefers moist soils of river bottoms and borders of swamps.

=Notes=.—Red Ash is occasionally found along some of the streams of the State but does not grow in sufficient quantities to be of any commercial importance. It can usually be distinguished from the White Ash by its pubescent twigs and petioles, and its somewhat different fruits. A variety of this species, lanceolata, is also to be found in some places along the streams.

BLACK ASH

=Fraxinus nigra=, Marsh.

=Form=.—Height 60-90 feet, diameter 1-2 feet; trunk rather slender, and straight, bearing a narrow-ovoid or rounded crown of upright branches.

=Leaves=.—Opposite, pinnately compound, 12-16 inches long; leaflets 7-11, 3-5 inches long, sessile, except the terminal one, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, taper-pointed, serrate, glabrous.

=Flowers=.—May; polygamo-dioecious; borne in loose drooping panicles.

=Fruit=.—Matures in early autumn; samaras 1-1½ inches long, in open drooping clusters.

=Bark=.—Soft, ash-gray, and scaly on old trunks, not deeply fissured. The outside corky bark is easily rubbed off with the hand.

=Wood=.—Heavy, coarse-grained, weak, rather soft, brown with thin lighter sapwood.

=Range=.—Newfoundland and Manitoba south to Virginia and Arkansas.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Not common. Found in Fayette, Preston and Tucker counties. Reported from Randolph, Webster, Monongalia, Summers, and Wirt counties.

=Habitat=.—Low river bottoms and swamps.

=Notes=.—This tree is only occasionally found in West Virginia and cannot be considered as an important species. When in leaf it is easily distinguished from the other Ashes by the leaflets which are sessile on the main petiole.

FRINGE TREE

=Chionanthus virginica=, L.

=Form=.—A small, slender tree sometimes reaching a height of 20-30 feet; trunk short, bearing numerous stout ascending branches which form a deep, narrow crown.

=Leaves=.—Opposite, simple, ovate, 4-8 inches long, entire, acute at apex, glabrous.

=Flowers=.—May-June; complete or polygamous; white, fragrant, borne in loose and drooping graceful panicles 4-6 inches long.

=Fruit=.—Purple berry-like ovoid drupes, ½-¾ of an inch long, borne in drooping clusters.

=Bark=.—Smooth, or somewhat scaly, thin, and reddish-brown.

=Wood=.—Heavy, hard, close-grained, brown with thick lighter-colored sapwood.

=Range=.—New Jersey and southern Pennsylvania to Florida and Texas.

=Distribution in West Virginia=.—Found principally in the southern and eastern parts of the State but nowhere common.

=Habitat=.—Rich, moist soil of stream banks and swamp borders.

=Notes=.—The Fringe-tree is valuable only as an ornament for which its fringe-like flower clusters and dark purple fruits give it a decided value.

SWEET VIBURNUM