Leaves

It is a pinnately compound leaf made up of multiple opposite oval shaped leaflets usually numbering between 7 to 13. There is one long leaflet at the tip and the leaves themselves are very lightly serrated on the edge. When in bud they are matt black in colour.

Flowers

Appearing April to May in clusters with thin stems, they are purple and very small with no petals.

Seeds

A samara that hangs at the end of twigs in clusters and dangles resembling ‘keys’ for which they are known. They are each a single seed winged for wind dispersal. They eventually turn brown and remain on the tree long after the leaves have dropped

Stem

The bark is greyish-green and smooth. As the tree grows more mature it develops fissures and becomes a darker grey-brown

Fruit

Known as keys, they appear in summer, and dangle from the tree in large numbers

Taste

The seeds have a unique slightly spicy taste

Frequency & law

Very common

The nuanced bit

Chalara ash dieback is caused by a fungus which originated in Asia to which our European trees unfortunately have no resistance to. This poses considerable risk to our existing ash tree populations.

Possible confusion

Elder which also has compound and opposite leaflets. Elderflowers however are fragrant umbels of creamy white flowers with the distinct dark purple berries that come afterwards later in the year making confusion difficult. Rowan is also compound but arranged in staggered pairs. Rowan is also much smaller with brown buds in winter instead of black. Later on in the year they also produce red berries opposed to Ash’s winged seeds. Walnut has similar compound leaves although they tend to be lighter green in colour and slightly aromatic when crushed. They also produce a distinctively different fruit.

Habitat

Preferring chalky soils or base rich soils, it will grow in moist conditions except sandy soils. It does best in moist but well drained areas.

How to harvest

Seeds can be harvested easily from the tree in summer, the challenge coming from finding some hanging low enough that they can easily be reached. Ash sap is harvested in spring by tapping the trunk.

Cooking tips

Ash keys are classically pickled when young and still green. When very young they can be toasted lightly and salted as a snack. Ash sap has been used in the past to brew ash wine.

Other uses

Ash wood is strong and able to take shocks without splintering too readily so has long been used to craft many items from tool handles to arrows to even sledges.

Folklore

In norse mythology the gods are said to have created the first human from Ash wood (and elm) as well as it being the tree of the world (Yggrasil) which connects the different worlds and the afterlife. Pliny the Elder, a roman naturalist and writer, said that ash leaves were a cure for snakebites.