Ash Tree
Latin name:
Fraxinus excelsior, F. angustifolia, F. ornus
Description:
Ash trees can raise as high as 30 metres and more. They grow preferably on places with sufficient water supply. The pinnate leafes are composed of an odd number of leflets without stalks. The buds of the common ash (
F. excelsior) are black, those of the other species are brown. Flowers appear before the leafes appear, they are either bisexual or unisexual. The inflorescences are inconspicuous exept those of
F. ornus, which reveals white bunches of flowers. The stem is smooth and greyish-brown. If you don`t look close, you might mistake the ash tree with tree of heaven (
Ailanthus).
Start of the season:
Ashes have a comparatively short flowering peroid of approximately two weeks, which peaks usually once a seson, together with the first peak of birch. The season starts in March (in the Submediterranean) to April, depending on the latitude.
Allergenicity:
The ash tree shows moderate to high allergenicity.
There is a strong crossreaction known between ash and olive tree. Both olive tree and ash cross react with Forsythia, privet (
Ligustrum), jasmin (
Jasminum) and - theoretically - lilac (
Syringa). Cross reactions with food are not certified.
