Ash Trees

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Scientific name:  Fraxinus excelsior

Size:  Can grow to 40m

Distribution:  Found throughout the UK

Flowering Months:  April to May

Special features:  The bark of the Ash tree is smooth and ash-grey coloured.  The buds are black and pointed at the tip.

The leaves are made up of between nine and thirteen pointed leaflets.  Each leaflet has serrated edges.  The branches are widely spaced allowing light to reach the ground below.

The seeds, which hang in bunches are known as keys.  They have long wings to help them disperse from the parent tree.  It sometimes takes a full year for the seeds to drop from the tree.

Ash tree wood is tough and has been used for centuries to make tool handles, oars, hockey sticks and billiard cues.

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