C. Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)

Ash trees can be large trees with expansive crowns, but many in Britain suffer from disease. Ash dieback, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, is expected to kill 80% of Britain's Ash trees. It is a fungus that originated in Asia and arrived in Europe about 30 years ago. Young Ash trees - like the one in the Cemetery - show symptoms quickly. Leaves show dark blotches, then wilt and fall. Shoots visibly die back. The total effect is to stunt the growth of young trees or to thin out the crowns of mature trees. There is no cure for this disease. The effect upon Britain's landscape will eventually be devastating.

You can read about West Sussex's response to Ash dieback and download their Action Plan (PDF). You may find the Living Ash Project website worth a visit. A few exceptional Ash trees appear to have tolerance to the fungus that causes Ash dieback. The hope is that these may be used to breed new Ash trees that retain that tolerance systematically.

Before the familiar black buds of this native tree appear the petalless flowers with their purple black stamens open in April, the stamens later turning green. Ash timber is hard and versatile, taking shock and strain very well, maintaining its shape under pressure. It is used for waggon wheel felloes (rims), shafts and undercarriage, heavy tool handles (pitchfork, pick-axe, sledge hammer, axe, beetle, scythe, fork, rake, shovel, spade), walking sticks, shepherds' crooks, cattle drovers' heavy sticks, dibbers, ladder poles, gates and heavy crates. The ash saplings used to make walking sticks are bent and straightened after heating in heavy sand. A large number of sports items, which strike or are struck, are made from ash, such as gymnasium bars, cricket stumps, polo clubs, tennis racquets, skis, snowshoes, sledge runners, oars, paddles, and shinty sticks.

Ash saplings were split to resemble the female vulva, and hernia sufferers passed through in a ceremonial rebirth. The sapling was bound, and as it grew together so the patient hoped to be cured. Ash bark was used to treat malaria. The ash has edible leaves and seed pods, the latter known as 'keys'. Both are usually gathered in July. An infusion of chopped ash leaves is a mild laxative and purgative. Young, green keys, when pickled, are a traditional accompaniment to cheese and cold meats.