{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| image = Fraxinus excelsior.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = European Ash (''Fraxinus excelsior'')
| regnum =
Plantae
| divisio =
Magnoliophyta
| classis =
Magnoliopsida
| ordo =
Lamiales
| familia =
Oleaceae
| genus = ''
Fraxinus''
| genus_authority =
Tourn. ex
L.
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = See text
}}
An
ash can be any of four different tree
genera from four very distinct
families (see end of page for disambiguation), but originally and most commonly refers to trees of the genus ''Fraxinus'' (from
Latin "ash tree") in the
olive family
Oleaceae. The ashes are usually medium to large
trees, mostly
deciduous though a few subtropical species are
evergreen. The
leaves are opposite (rarely in whorls of three), and mostly pinnately-compound, simple in a few
species. The
seeds, popularly known as ''keys'', are a type of
fruit known as a
samara. The tree's common English name goes back to the Old English ''æsc'', a word also routinely used in Old English documents to refer to spears made of ash wood.
Uses
The
wood is hard (a
hardwood), tough and very strong but elastic, extensively used for making
bows,
tool handles, quality wooden
baseball bats,
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. Ash veneers are extensively used in office furniture. It also makes excellent
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, was formed from an ash tree (the first woman was made from
elm). Elsewhere in Europe,
snakes 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
the letter ash.
In
Greek mythology, the
Meliai were nymphs of the ash, perhaps specifically of the Manna Ash (''Fraxinus ornus''), as
dryads were nymphs of the oak. Many echoes of archaic Hellene rites and myth involve ash trees.
The ash exudes a sugary substance that, it has been suggested, was fermented to create the Norse "Mead of Inspiration."
http://www.musaios.com/ash.htm