Friends of Belfast Botanic Gardens

Tree of the month series - this series of short articles about trees in the Belfast Botanic Gardens is compiled by members of the Friends group and Gardens staff. The series will gradually build up to a comprehensive archive of information about the trees in Belfast Botanic gardens. Each article will illustrate the tree in Belfast together with information from a range of sources elsewhere. Click here for the rest of the trees

Tree of the Month, September 2008

Common Ash tree- Fraxinus excelsior

by Jonathan Pilcher
The ash is now one of the commonest field and hedgerow trees in Ireland. It arrived in Ireland after the last ice age, but long after most of the other native trees such as oak and elm, and didn't really become common until about 2000 years ago. In winter the tree is distinctive because in silhouette the branches hang down then turn up at the tips. In close-up it is distinctive because of the sooty black buds (this characteristic not only distinguishes the common ash from other native trees, but also from all other introduced members of the Fraxinus genus). In summer the leaves could be confused with those of walnut and tree of heaven, but the usually abundant fruit, called keys, will serve to distinguish it. Ash provides a useful straight-grained timber that is still much used for tool handles, even in this plastic age. There are several ash trees in the Belfast Botanic Gardens, including a fine specimen near the embankment gate (shown below).

Mature ash tree in Belfast Botanic Gardens	Branches of ash in fruit
Leaf of ash	Young ash fruit - called 'keys'
characteristic vertically-ridged bark of ash tree	winter bud of common ash

Photos taken in 2008 in Belfast Botanic Gardens. Copyright Jon Pilcher