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Ash © Robert Graham. Latin name Fraxinus excelsior Fraxinus excelsior buds, Fraxinus excelsior fruits © Sten Porse, How to spot Fraxinus excelsior The ash tree is deciduous, so it drops all its leaves and stands bare in Winter. It is still easily identified without leaves by smooth Left to right: grey twigs that hold sooty, black leaf buds. The bark of a young ash tree is smooth and greenish-grey, turning ASH FACTSHEET ASH darker grey and forming deep cracks with age. Ash tree leaves that unfurl in Spring are compound, divided into pairs of leaflets along a long leaf stalk. They usually have 3-6 pairs of light green pointed leaflets with a single leaflet at the Compound leaves end of the leaf. are made up of many smaller leaves called In late Summer they have large clusters of leaflets that are joined green winged fruits known as ‘keys’ that turn to a single stem. brown after the leaves have fallen in Autumn. Our UK native ash tree can grow to be one of the tallest trees in a woodland reaching up to 40m in height. Where it grows Ash trees often grow in groups and can be found in woods, along hedgerows and in streets and parks. It is one of the UK’s most abundant trees, although less common in northern Scotland. Registered charity 294344 and SC038885 Supporting the Woodland Trust’s Nature’s Calendar project Don’t confuse it with Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) Rowan trees have similar shaped leaves that could easily be mistaken for ash © Jonik. leaves, but the trees are much smaller and more compact. Unlike the ash, they do not have distinctive Sorbus aucuparia black buds in Winter and have bunches of creamy-white flowers in Spring which turn into green and then orange berries in Autumn. The tree crown is the top part of the tree, with branches that grow Why it needs protecting out from the main trunk and support the leaves. Ash trees across Europe are being killed by a serious disease called ash dieback. This disease, caused by a fungus, results in leaf loss and tree crown dieback in infected trees, potentially leading to the death of the tree. Ash is a very important tree in the UK and is the sole source of food for over 27 species of invertebrate. ASH FACTSHEET ASH The spread of ash dieback and the depletion of this important tree could be damaging to many of the UK’s wildlife species. Benefits for wildlife Ash trees make the perfect habitat for many different species of Andrew Curtis. Under the ash tree © wildlife with birds including woodpeckers and owls using the trees for nesting. Ash trees live for a long time and as older trees contain a mix of living and dead, decaying material, they provide an excellent habitat for the lesser stag beetle and other minibeasts that thrive on deadwood. Did you know? Ash is one of the toughest hardwoods and absorbs shocks without splintering so people have used it to make tools for years. Ash timber has been used to make hammers, axes, spades, hockey sticks and oars. Get involved Have you seen any spectacular ash trees lately? Take a photo to share with friends and @GrowWildUK online using #ash and #NatureQuest.