Uninhibited, the Ash may grow to be one of the tallest trees in the forest. Her trunk is relatively trim, while her branches reach out to the universe. When young, her bark is smooth and grey, much like her branches. As she ages, however, her bark will develop shallow fissures. In her crone years, the fissures become deeper, appearing more like an old English Oak. She is deciduous, and her leaves are often among the last leaves to appear in the spring and the last to fall in the autumn. Her sooty black buds and upturned grey shoots are one of her best identifying features. Her common name Ash comes from the Old English word for ‘spear’, and she continues to provide straight and strong support. Her leaves were placed under the baby’s bed to protect against mischievous spirits, while in some druid traditions her branch would serve as a protective staff connecting the powers of the earth and heavens.  Most Ash species are dioecious (male and female flowers on different plants). That being said, she is very gender fluid. In addition to having some hermaphrodite trees, with age she may change her sexual function from male or hermaphrodite to female.

The Magic of Ash

The Medicine of Ash

Science of Ash