Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (21) View all

Common forest trees of North Carolina

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  • wcu_great_smoky_mtns-9737.jpg
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  • WHITE ASH (Fraxinus americana L.) THE white ash is found throughout the State, but grows to best advantage in the rich moist soils of mountain coves and river bottomlands. It reaches an average height of 50 to 80 feet and a diameter of 2 to 3 feet, though much larger trees are found in virgin forest. The bark varies in color from a light gray to a gray-brown. The rather narrow ridges are WHITE ASH Twig, one-halt natural size. Leaf, one-third natural size. separated with marked regularity by deep, diamond- shaped fissures. The leaves of the white ash are from 8 to 12 inches long and have from 5 to 9 plainly stalked, sharp- pointed leaflets, dark green and smooth above, pale green beneath. The ashes form the only group of trees in ea tern America that have opposite, compound leaves with 5 or more leaflets. This fact in itself provides a ready means of identifying the group. The flowers are of two kinds on different Trees, the male in dense reddish purple clusters and the female in more open bunches. The fruit of the ash is winged, 1 to iy2 inches long, resembling the blade of a canoe paddle in outline, with the seed at the handle end. The fruits mature in late summer and are distributed effectively by the winds. The wood of the white ash is extremely valuable on account of its toughness and elasticity. It is preferred to all other native woods for small tool handles, such athletic implements as rackets, bats and oars, and agricultural implements. It is also used extensively for furniture and interior fiuish. 75
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Object’s are ‘parent’ level descriptions to ‘children’ items, (e.g. a book with pages).