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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Ash
| image = Fraxinus excelsior.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = European Ash (''Fraxinus excelsior'')
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Lamiales]]
| familia = [[Oleaceae]]
| genus = '''''Fraxinus'''''
| genus_authority = [[Joseph Pitton de Tournefort|Tourn.]] ex [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = See text
}}
[[Image:Ash flower.JPG|thumb|European Ash in flower]]
[[Image:NarrowleafAsh.jpg|thumb|Narrow-leafed Ash (''Fraxinus angustifolia'') shoot with leaves]]
[[Image:EurAshSeeds.jpg|thumb|Closeup of European Ash seeds]]
[[Image:Koeh-062.jpg|thumb|19th century illustration of Manna Ash (''Fraxinus ornus'')]]
An '''ash''' can be any of four different tree [[genus|genera]] from four very distinct [[family (biology)|families]] (see end of page for disambiguation), but originally and most commonly refers to trees of the genus ''Fraxinus'' in the [[olive]] family [[Oleaceae]]. The ashes are usually medium to large [[tree]]s, mostly [[deciduous]] though a few subtropical species are [[evergreen]]. The [[leaf|leaves]] are opposite (rarely in whorls of three), and mostly pinnately-compound, simple in a few [[species]]. The [[seed]]s, popularly known as ''keys'', are a type of [[fruit]] known as a '''[[samara (fruit)|samara]]'''. The tree's common English name goes back to the Old English æsc.
==Selected species==
;Ashes of eastern [[North America]]
* ''[[Fraxinus americana]]'' White Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus caroliniana]]'' Water Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus nigra]]'' Black Ash or Swamp Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus pennsylvanica]]'' Green Ash (also includes Red Ash)
* ''[[Fraxinus profunda]]'' (syn. ''F. tomentosa'') Pumpkin Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus quadrangulata]]'' Blue Ash
;Ashes of western and southwestern [[North America]]
* ''[[Fraxinus anomala]]'' Single-leaf Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus cuspidata]]'' Fragrant Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus dipetala]]'' Two-petal Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus dubia]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus gooddingii]]'' Goodding's Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus greggii]]'' Gregg's Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus latifolia]]'' Oregon Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus lowellii]]'' Lowell Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus papillosa]]'' Chihuahua Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus purpusii]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus rufescens]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus texensis]]'' Mountain Ash or Texas Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus uhdei]]'' Shamel Ash or Tropical Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus velutina]]'' Velvet Ash
;Ashes of the Western [[Palearctic]] ([[Europe]], north [[Africa]] and southwest [[Asia]])
* ''[[Fraxinus angustifolia]]'' Narrow-leafed Ash
** ''[[Fraxinus angustifolia]]'' var. ''oxycarpa'' (syn. ''F. oxycarpa'') Caucasian Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus excelsior]]'' European Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus holotricha]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus ornus]]'' Manna Ash or Flowering Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus pallisiae]]'' Pallis' Ash
;Ashes of the Eastern [[Palearctic]] (central & eastern [[Asia]])
* ''[[Fraxinus apertisquamifera]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus baroniana]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus bungeana]]'' Bunge's Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus chinensis]]'' Chinese Ash or Korean Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus chiisanensis]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus floribunda]]'' Himalayan Manna Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus griffithii]]'' Griffith's Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus hubeiensis]] ''
* ''[[Fraxinus lanuginosa]] ''
* ''[[Fraxinus longicuspis]]'' Japanese Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus malacophylla]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus mandshurica]]'' Manchurian Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus mariesii]]'' Chinese Flowering Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus micrantha]] ''
* ''[[Fraxinus paxiana]] ''
* ''[[Fraxinus platypoda]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus raibocarpa]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus sieboldiana]]'' Japanese Flowering Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus spaethiana]]'' Späth's Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus trifoliata]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus xanthoxyloides]]'' Afghan Ash
==Threats==
The [[emerald ash borer]] ''Agrilus planipennis'', a wood-boring [[beetle]] accidentally introduced to North America from eastern Asia with ash wood products in about [[1998]], has killed millions of trees in southeast [[Michigan]], adjacent [[Ontario]], and some isolated smaller areas on eastern North America. It threatens some 7 billion ash trees in North America. Ash is also used as a food plant by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species - see [[list of Lepidoptera which feed on Ashes]].
==Uses==
The [[wood]] is hard (a [[hardwood]]), tough and very strong but elastic, extensively used for making [[bow (weapon) |bows]], [[tool]] handles, quality wooden [[baseball bat]]s, [[hurley (stick)|hurley sticks]] and other uses demanding high strength and resilience. It is also used as material for the bodies of guitars, known for its bright, cutting tone and sustaining quality. It also makes excellent [[wood fuel#Firewood|firewood]]. The two most economically important species for wood production are White Ash in eastern North America, and European Ash in Europe. The Green Ash is widely planted as a street tree in the United States. The inner bark of the Blue Ash has been used as a source for a blue [[dye]].
The cortex (bark) of ''Fraxinus rhynchophylla'' HANCE (Chinese: Ku li bai la shu), ''Fraxinus chinensis'' ROXB. (Chinese: Bai la shu), ''Fraxinus szaboana'' English (Chinese: Jian ye bai la shu) and ''Fraxinus stylosa'' English (Chinese: su zhu bai la shu)are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for diarrhea, dysenteric disorder, and vaginal discharge. It is also good for the eyes where there is symptoms of redness, swelling, and pain. The dosage is 6-12 grams.
==Cultural aspects==
In [[Norse mythology]], the World Tree [[Yggdrasil]] is commonly held to be an ash tree, and the first man, [[Ask and Embla|Ask]], was formed from an ash tree (the first woman was made from [[elm]]). Elsewhere in Europe, [[snake]]s were said to be repelled by ash leaves or a circle drawn by an ash branch. Irish folklore claims that shadows from an ash tree damage crops. In [[Cheshire]], it is said that ash could be used to cure warts or rickets. See also [[Æ|the letter ash]].
In [[Greek mythology]], the [[Meliai]] were nymphs of the ash, perhaps specifically of the Manna Ash (''Fraxinus ornus''), as [[dryad]]s were nymphs of the oak. Many echoes of archaic Hellene rites and myth involve ash trees.
==Other name uses (Green Tree)==
In [[North America]], the name "Mountain ash" is applied to species of the genus ''[[Sorbus]]'', more commonly known in the UK as [[Rowan]]s and [[Whitebeam]]s, and the name "[[Prickly ash]]" is applied to ''[[Zanthoxylum]] americanum''. In [[Australia]], many common [[eucalyptus]] species are called ''ash'' because they too produce hard, fine-grained timber. The best known of these is the [[Eucalyptus regnans|Mountain Ash]], the tallest [[angiosperm|broadleaf]] tree in the world..
[[Category:Oleaceae]]
| color = lightgreen
| name = Ash
| image = Fraxinus excelsior.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = European Ash (''Fraxinus excelsior'')
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Lamiales]]
| familia = [[Oleaceae]]
| genus = '''''Fraxinus'''''
| genus_authority = [[Joseph Pitton de Tournefort|Tourn.]] ex [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = See text
}}
[[Image:Ash flower.JPG|thumb|European Ash in flower]]
[[Image:NarrowleafAsh.jpg|thumb|Narrow-leafed Ash (''Fraxinus angustifolia'') shoot with leaves]]
[[Image:EurAshSeeds.jpg|thumb|Closeup of European Ash seeds]]
[[Image:Koeh-062.jpg|thumb|19th century illustration of Manna Ash (''Fraxinus ornus'')]]
An '''ash''' can be any of four different tree [[genus|genera]] from four very distinct [[family (biology)|families]] (see end of page for disambiguation), but originally and most commonly refers to trees of the genus ''Fraxinus'' in the [[olive]] family [[Oleaceae]]. The ashes are usually medium to large [[tree]]s, mostly [[deciduous]] though a few subtropical species are [[evergreen]]. The [[leaf|leaves]] are opposite (rarely in whorls of three), and mostly pinnately-compound, simple in a few [[species]]. The [[seed]]s, popularly known as ''keys'', are a type of [[fruit]] known as a '''[[samara (fruit)|samara]]'''. The tree's common English name goes back to the Old English æsc.
==Selected species==
;Ashes of eastern [[North America]]
* ''[[Fraxinus americana]]'' White Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus caroliniana]]'' Water Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus nigra]]'' Black Ash or Swamp Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus pennsylvanica]]'' Green Ash (also includes Red Ash)
* ''[[Fraxinus profunda]]'' (syn. ''F. tomentosa'') Pumpkin Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus quadrangulata]]'' Blue Ash
;Ashes of western and southwestern [[North America]]
* ''[[Fraxinus anomala]]'' Single-leaf Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus cuspidata]]'' Fragrant Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus dipetala]]'' Two-petal Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus dubia]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus gooddingii]]'' Goodding's Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus greggii]]'' Gregg's Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus latifolia]]'' Oregon Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus lowellii]]'' Lowell Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus papillosa]]'' Chihuahua Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus purpusii]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus rufescens]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus texensis]]'' Mountain Ash or Texas Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus uhdei]]'' Shamel Ash or Tropical Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus velutina]]'' Velvet Ash
;Ashes of the Western [[Palearctic]] ([[Europe]], north [[Africa]] and southwest [[Asia]])
* ''[[Fraxinus angustifolia]]'' Narrow-leafed Ash
** ''[[Fraxinus angustifolia]]'' var. ''oxycarpa'' (syn. ''F. oxycarpa'') Caucasian Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus excelsior]]'' European Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus holotricha]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus ornus]]'' Manna Ash or Flowering Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus pallisiae]]'' Pallis' Ash
;Ashes of the Eastern [[Palearctic]] (central & eastern [[Asia]])
* ''[[Fraxinus apertisquamifera]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus baroniana]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus bungeana]]'' Bunge's Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus chinensis]]'' Chinese Ash or Korean Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus chiisanensis]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus floribunda]]'' Himalayan Manna Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus griffithii]]'' Griffith's Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus hubeiensis]] ''
* ''[[Fraxinus lanuginosa]] ''
* ''[[Fraxinus longicuspis]]'' Japanese Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus malacophylla]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus mandshurica]]'' Manchurian Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus mariesii]]'' Chinese Flowering Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus micrantha]] ''
* ''[[Fraxinus paxiana]] ''
* ''[[Fraxinus platypoda]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus raibocarpa]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus sieboldiana]]'' Japanese Flowering Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus spaethiana]]'' Späth's Ash
* ''[[Fraxinus trifoliata]]''
* ''[[Fraxinus xanthoxyloides]]'' Afghan Ash
==Threats==
The [[emerald ash borer]] ''Agrilus planipennis'', a wood-boring [[beetle]] accidentally introduced to North America from eastern Asia with ash wood products in about [[1998]], has killed millions of trees in southeast [[Michigan]], adjacent [[Ontario]], and some isolated smaller areas on eastern North America. It threatens some 7 billion ash trees in North America. Ash is also used as a food plant by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species - see [[list of Lepidoptera which feed on Ashes]].
==Uses==
The [[wood]] is hard (a [[hardwood]]), tough and very strong but elastic, extensively used for making [[bow (weapon) |bows]], [[tool]] handles, quality wooden [[baseball bat]]s, [[hurley (stick)|hurley sticks]] and other uses demanding high strength and resilience. It is also used as material for the bodies of guitars, known for its bright, cutting tone and sustaining quality. It also makes excellent [[wood fuel#Firewood|firewood]]. The two most economically important species for wood production are White Ash in eastern North America, and European Ash in Europe. The Green Ash is widely planted as a street tree in the United States. The inner bark of the Blue Ash has been used as a source for a blue [[dye]].
The cortex (bark) of ''Fraxinus rhynchophylla'' HANCE (Chinese: Ku li bai la shu), ''Fraxinus chinensis'' ROXB. (Chinese: Bai la shu), ''Fraxinus szaboana'' English (Chinese: Jian ye bai la shu) and ''Fraxinus stylosa'' English (Chinese: su zhu bai la shu)are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for diarrhea, dysenteric disorder, and vaginal discharge. It is also good for the eyes where there is symptoms of redness, swelling, and pain. The dosage is 6-12 grams.
==Cultural aspects==
In [[Norse mythology]], the World Tree [[Yggdrasil]] is commonly held to be an ash tree, and the first man, [[Ask and Embla|Ask]], was formed from an ash tree (the first woman was made from [[elm]]). Elsewhere in Europe, [[snake]]s were said to be repelled by ash leaves or a circle drawn by an ash branch. Irish folklore claims that shadows from an ash tree damage crops. In [[Cheshire]], it is said that ash could be used to cure warts or rickets. See also [[Æ|the letter ash]].
In [[Greek mythology]], the [[Meliai]] were nymphs of the ash, perhaps specifically of the Manna Ash (''Fraxinus ornus''), as [[dryad]]s were nymphs of the oak. Many echoes of archaic Hellene rites and myth involve ash trees.
==Other name uses (Green Tree)==
In [[North America]], the name "Mountain ash" is applied to species of the genus ''[[Sorbus]]'', more commonly known in the UK as [[Rowan]]s and [[Whitebeam]]s, and the name "[[Prickly ash]]" is applied to ''[[Zanthoxylum]] americanum''. In [[Australia]], many common [[eucalyptus]] species are called ''ash'' because they too produce hard, fine-grained timber. The best known of these is the [[Eucalyptus regnans|Mountain Ash]], the tallest [[angiosperm|broadleaf]] tree in the world..
[[Category:Oleaceae]]
