European ash facts for kids

Quick facts for kids European ash
European Ash shoot and leaf; note black bud
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Oleaceae
Genus:	Fraxinus
Binomial name
Fraxinus excelsior L.

The European ash is Fraxinus excelsior, a kind of ash tree. It is found throughout Europe and not just Scandinavia. It is a deciduous tree that grows to a height of 20–35 metres.

Uses

Ash wood is very easy to bend. It is therefore the material of choice to make bows. Tennis rackets, and the long poles used for snooker are sometimes made from it.

Religion

In Norse mythology, the tree Yggdrasil was a European ash. The tree linked all the nine world, Niflheim and Asgard, amongst others. Below the tree resides Hel as well as the Well of Urd.

Gallery

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  Fraxinus excelsior - Museum specimen

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  Male flowers

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  Seeds of Fraxinus excelsior, popularly known as "keys" or "helicopter seeds", are a type of fruit known as a samara

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  Veneer of Common Ash Wood.

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  Replica of the body frame from the Volvo ÖV 4 car, made primarily from ash wood.

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  Ash saplings from a mast year.

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  Two ash trees fused together.

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  Tree 46 m tall, Château des princes de Croÿ, Le Roeulx, Belgium.

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  Weeping Ash Fraxinus excelsior 'Pendula', Knightshayes Court, England.

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  Buds.

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  Bark

Images for kids

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  Leaf and shoot, showing black bud

See also

In Spanish: Fresno norteño para niños