Ash  (Fraxinus excelsior)

The ash is one of our tallest native trees. It has a fairly open crown, becoming oval or spherical in shape as it ages (3). The bark is greyish in colour and smooth, becoming fissured as it grows old. This tree is easy to identify in winter by the black buds, which occur in pairs (4). The tiny purple flowers appear before the leaves and occur in male and female clusters (4), they do not have petals or sepals (3). Ash is one of the last trees to produce leaves in spring; the compound leaves are pinnate, with 7-13 toothed oval-shaped leaflets (4). The elongate, winged fruits hang in clusters, they are initially green in colour, but eventually become brown (3).