16 February: Ash trees

Today is the first day of the Celtic month dedicated to the ash tree. Here are some things you may not know about the ash:

1. There are about fifty different species of ash tree in the world. The European ash has the scientific name Fraxinus excelsior. The common name "ash" derives from an old English word for "spear."
2. Ash trees belong to the Oleaceae family and are therefore cousins of the Olive tree.
3. An ash tree can grow to a height of 35m and live for 400 years or even longer. They are commonly used for landscaping in city parks and urban streets.
4. The leaves are compound and grow on a long stem attached to a twig. They will move with the direction of sunlight, which can result in the whole crown of the tree leaning towards the Sun. The leaves appear relatively late in spring, and are among the first to be shed in autumn.
5. Male and female flowers usually grow on different trees, but you can get male and female flowers on different branches of the same tree. They are pollinated by the wind and are Purple in colour, coming out in spring before the leaves.
6. The fruit is known as samaras - they look like little keys and are sometimes called "helicopter fruit".
7. In Norse mythology, the first man, Askr, was formed from an Ash tree.
8. The tree was thought to have healing properties. The bark is said to cure warts and rickets. Nicholas Culpeper, the famous herbalist, believed eating the seeds was a cure for "stitches and pains in the side”. Ash leaves are said to relieve tired Feet when placed in boots. The sap contains the effective element of quinine, so some of the medical claims were not just myth. However, the idea that a sick child could be cured by passing it three times through a cleft ash trunk is probably just folklore.
9. In Ireland it was said that the shadow of an ash tree could ruin crops. However, cutting one down could result in your house burning down. Snakes are said to be repelled by ash leaves, or even a circle drawn by an ash branch. In Sussex, the ash tree was known as a "widowmaker", because large boughs were prone to fall without warning. There is an old weather saying: “Oak before ash we will have a splash - ash before oak we will have a soak” meaning if the ash leaves appear before those of the oak there will be a lot of rain. This isn't true.
10. Ash wood was used to make carriages in the early 19th Century, and it is still used by Morgan Motor Company for the frames of their cars. In the 20th century, early aviators used Ash tree wood to make aeroplanes. It is used today for making tools and sport handles, including hammers, axes, spades, hockey sticks and oars, because it can absorb shocks without splintering.

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