ovate, cuneate at the base, abruptly contracted above into a long cuspidate apex, crenately serrate; upper surface glabrous; lower surface Pale green, slightly pubescent on the side of the midrib, elsewhere glabrous. Rachis of the leaf, grooved on its upper side, pubescent at the nodes, glabrous elsewhere. Buds purplish brown, minutely pubescent. Flowers (section Ovnus) in terminal and lateral panicles ; petals four, narrowly-linear. Fruit about an inch in length, subtended by a 4-toothed calyx, oblanceolate, with a long cuneate base and an obtuse emarginate apex. -
This species is variable as regards the shape of the leaflets; and two varieties have been noticed, regarded as distinct species by Blume; one characterised by broad ovate leaflets (terminal leaflet 3 to 3% inches long and 1} inch broad), with slight pubescence along the midrib beneath ; the other with narrow oblong leaflets (terminal leaflet 34 to 4 inches long and 1 to 1% inch wide), glabrous on the under surface; but, as Franchet points out, there are numerous specimens with inter- mediate characters.
Fraxinus longicuspis' is a native of the mountainous districts of Japan, attain- ing, according to Shirasawa, an elevation of 5000 feet in the central chain of Hondo. It is abundant in Nikko, Chichibu, and Kiso; and has been collected near Hakodate by Maximowicz, in Akita by Elwes, in the mountains of Yamagata by Faurie, and in the island of Tsu-sima by Wilford. On account of its small size, it is of no economic importance in Japan. It appears to be extremely rare in cultivation in this country, the only specimen which we have seen being a small plant at Kew, about 2 feet high, which was raised from seed sent by Sargent in 1894. (A.H.)
FRAXINUS NIGRA, Black Ash
- Fraxinus nigra, Marshall, 47. Am. 51 (1785); Sargent, Silva N. Amer. vi. 37, tt. 264, 265 (1894), and Trees N. Amer. 764 (1905).
- Fraxinus sambucifolia, Lamarck, Dict. ii. 549 (1786) ; Loudon, Arb. et Frut. Brit. ii. 1234 (1838).
A tree, attaining in America 90 feet in height and 5 feet in girth of stem, with bark divided into large irregular scaly plates. Shoots glabrous. Leaflets (Plate 264, Fig. 19), seven to eleven, 3 to 5 inches long, terminal one petiolulate, lateral leaflets sessile; oblong to oblong-lanceolate, rounded and unequal at the base, long acuminate at the apex, remotely and finely crenulate-serrate; under surface glabrous, except for long reddish hairs along the nerves and midrib, densest towards the base, where they spread over the surface of the leaflet. Leaf-rachis winged on the upper side, the wings meeting above and not forming a continuous open groove; glabrous except opposite the insertions of the leaflets, where it is bearded all round with dense rufous hairs.
The terminal buds are blackish, broadly ovate and acute, with six scales visible externally, of which the outer pair, slightly puberulous, almost enclose the others.
1 The Japanese botanists recognise two species :—F. longicuspis, called in Japanese oshida or aotago; and F. Sieboldiana, known as shioji. The latter name may possibly refer to F. Spaethiana, Cf. p. 897.
