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.
The pumpkin ash, _Fraxinus tomentosa_ Michx., grows in deep river
swamps in southern Illinois. It is a tall slender tree, usually with a
much enlarged base. The twigs are light gray. The leaves, with 7 to 9
leaflets, smooth above and soft downy below, are from 10 to 18 inches
long.
The black ash, _Fraxinus nigra_ Marsh., appears occasionally on the
flood plains in the northern part of the State. It may be known by its
ashy light gray bark, its very thick twigs and sessile, long-pointed
sharply serrate leaflets.
+CATALPA+ _Catalpa speciosa_ Warder
THIS is a native to the Wabash Valley of Illinois, but has been widely
planted and has spread somewhat farther as a result of cultivation. It
is a medium sized tree with a short trunk and broad head with spreading
branches. Because of its attractive flowers and conspicuous heart-shaped
leaves, it is considerably used for shade and ornament. The _bark_
varies from dark gray to brown, slightly rough, being divided in narrow
shallow strips or flakes. The _leaves_ are simple, opposite, oval,
long-pointed, 6 to 10 inches long, and heart-shaped at the base.
[Illustration: CATALPA