The opposite _leaves_ of the white ash are from 8 to 12 inches long and have from 5 to 9 plainly stalked, sharp-pointed leaflets, dark green and smooth above, pale green beneath. The _flowers_ are of two kinds on different trees, the staminate in dense reddish-purple clusters and the pistillate in more open bunches. The _fruit_ of the ash is winged, 1 to 1-1/2 inches long, resembling the blade of a canoe paddle in outline, with the seed at the handle end. The fruits mature in late summer and are distributed effectively by the winds. The _wood_ of the white ash is extremely valuable on account of its toughness and elasticity. It is preferred to all other native woods for small tool handles, such athletic implements as rackets, bats, and oars, and agricultural implements. It is also used extensively for furniture and interior finish. The green ash, _Fraxinus pennsylvanica lanceolata_ Sarg., is common in stream valleys throughout the State. The hairy form of this tree is known as the red ash. This species differs from the white ash in having the leaves bright green or yellow-green on both sides. The fruit has the wing portion extending well down past the middle of the seed-bearing part, and with the wing sometimes square or slightly notched at the outer end. The wood is similar to that of the white ash, but is not quite so tough. +BLUE ASH+ _Fraxinus quadrangulata_ Michx. THE blue ash is not very common but widely distributed in the upland portions of the State, where it is limited to limestone bluffs, occasionally descending to the adjacent bottom lands. It becomes a large tree 60 feet or more in height with a trunk 2 feet in diameter. The young twigs are usually square, sometimes winged or 4-ridged between the leaf bases. [Illustration: BLUE ASH Leaf, one-third natural size. Fruit and twig, two-thirds natural size.] The _bark_ is light gray tinged with red, 1/2 to 2/3 inch thick, irregularly divided into large plate-like scales. Macerating the inner bark in water yields a blue dye. The _leaves_ are 8 to 12 inches long, having 7 to 11 stalked leaflets, long pointed and coarsely toothed, thick and firm, smooth and yellowish-green above, paler beneath. The _flowers_ are without petals and appear in clusters when the buds begin to expand. The _fruit_ is flattened and oblong, 1 to 2 inches long and less than 1/2 inch wide and usually notched at the outer end. The wing is about twice the length of the seed-bearing portion and extends down the sides past the middle. The _wood_ is heavy, hard, and close-grained, light yellow, streaked with brown, with a very broad zone of lighter sapwood. It is not usually distinguished commercially from the wood of other ashes.