The _leaves_ are alternate, oval, entire, 4 to 6 inches long, dark green
and shining above, paler beneath.
The small _flowers_, which appear in May, are yellowish or creamy white,
somewhat bell-shaped, the two kinds occurring on separate trees; the
male in clusters of 2 or 3, the female solitary. They are visited by
many insects.
The _fruit_ is a pulpy, round, orange-colored or brown berry, an inch or
more in diameter and containing several flattened, hard, smooth seeds.
It is strongly astringent while green, but quite sweet and delicious
when thoroughly ripe.
The _wood_ is hard, dense, heavy, strong, the heartwood brown or black,
the wide sapwood white or yellowish. It is particularly valued for
shuttles, golf-stick heads, and similar special uses, but is not of
sufficient commercial use to warrant its general encouragement as a
timber tree.
The Hercules' club, _Aralia spinosa_ L., grows to tree size in
southern Illinois, with a spiny stem 25 to 30 feet tall and a
flat-topped head. The doubly compound leaves are often more than 3
feet long. Its small greenish-white flowers are followed by large
clusters of purple juicy berries. It is desirable for ornamental
planting.
+WHITE ASH+ _Fraxinus americana_ L.
THE white ash is found throughout the State, but grows to best advantage
in the rich moist soils of bottom lands. It reaches an average height of
50 to 80 feet and a diameter of 2 to 3 feet, though much larger trees
are found in virgin forests. The _bark_ varies in color from a light
gray to a gray-brown. The rather narrow ridges are separated with marked
regularity by deep, diamond-shaped fissures.
[Illustration: WHITE ASH