h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This entry is at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A571088

I wrote it about one of my favourite trees, whose seedlings are still trying to take over my garden.

Azara

Always suspected that ash trees were quite versatile - recall that they withstood the (uninvited) attention of many young children who used them for 'pole vaulting' practice - they still thrived.

You've reflected their nature in the mention given to the fact that the Morgan sports car used a frame made from ash.

A well researched piece.

yes indeedy. i would have suggested that there be more on the ash in folklore/mythology, but a simple Yahoo search on ash tree reveals that there is enough in *that* area for at least one or two other articles and would be rather out of place in one section of this one(lending to one section that is twice as long as everything else); that in fact there is enough on Yggdrasil alone(in Norse mythos, the tree of Life, and in fact a whole lot of other things too.)to be an entire article(in fact, there is already an entry on it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A577631 but it may or may not be a University of Life project and anyway is not edited.).

could you add something about how long it usually takes for them to grow to maturity? perhaps in the appearence section after you say that they can grow to 30m, in paretheses or a footnote, since that seems like the most "flowing" place to put it?

Hi, Minesweep Goddess!
I was originally hoping to put in more about the mythology and folklore aspect, but I ran into a lot of problems trying to crosscheck information. For example, there are a lot of assertions going around about how the ancient Celts used various plants in mystical ceremonies, for healing and so on, but it would take a lot of time to track down some reliable sources. I saw what looked like interesting references about the ash being important (and maybe picked as Yggdrasil etc.) because of the production of a 'manna' type of sugary exudate, but others seem to state that this was only in a different Mediterranean species, and it seems hard to reconcile with the ecological information about supporting a fairly limited fauna.
So I left it all out!

I might come back and some stage and look into that Celtic plant lore a bit more, but I hope that the scope of this entry will be acceptable as it stands.

The time to reach maturity is a very good point - you made me realise that I hadn't got any age information at all. I'll check on that and get back on Wednesday or Thursday about it.
Thanks!
Azara

Hi!

What does "in for a splash" mean? I always took it to mean the weather would be wet. I took this rhyme to be a jocular one: if oak opens before ash, it will be wet. If the other way around, it will also be wet.

What sort of wood was used in the early aeroplanes, which had wooden frames with canvas stretched over them? Was it ash, too?

Might it be worth mentioning "The Ash Tree" by MR James?

G

Very nice article.
Another one that I can't really fault

Destined for the guide no doubt

Orcus

yeah, that's definitly another problem whenever you want to write anything about folklore/mythos/traditional uses, finding info that's *acurate*, and not just wishful thinking/deranged ravings/not well reasearched/totally made up/otherwise misleading/or with one little snippet wrong, such as the origin of it.

esp. of you're looking on the 'net, where absolutely anyone can put anything they want there, w/o it having to be accurate.

Changes to the entry:

I have added a short paragraph on 'Germination and Growth' to cover Minesweep Goddess's point about the age. (The seedlings in my garden grow at a rate of at least one metre a year, but I have gone for more conservative figures).

Gnomon: I have checked the 'in for a splash' rhyme all over the place, and anyone who actually explains what they think it means always goes for the 'splash' being only a sprinkling of rain, therefore predicting dry weather. So I'm going to leave it alone.

The main wood used in old aeroplanes seems to have been spruce - while not as strong, it was much lighter, and the weight advantage seemed to be more important.

I actually had a reference to MR James' ghost story and took it out, because it looked a bit lonely. I can't decide where it would fit, so unless inspiration strikes again I'm going to leave it out too!

Azara

Azara,

This is a very informative article, written in a very appealing and accessible format. Possibly one or two things to add would be some additional points on how to identify the tree, e.g. the black colour of the buds in winter, the tendency of the branches to curve upwards, the rather scraggly appearance of the tree overall, and the fact that there may often be multiple trunks rising out of the ground around the tree.

Is ash actually more common than hawthorn or elder?

Again, it's a great article - there are far too few articles on local flora and fauna in the guide, and this is an excellent model for anybody who would wish to try their hand at writing about nature.

Hi, Woodpigeon!
Thanks for the comments. I tried to take a middle ground between what I actually know from conditions in my own locality (Wicklow) and what references give as general conditions in Britain and mainland Europe. So, for example, I stuck with the more conservative estimates of growth rates, though the seedlings in the wilder parts of my garden can grow at about 2m a year.

Anyway, to deal with your points:
I had mentioned the matte black buds - I have put in an extra sentence to point out how important the colour is in winter identification. I think your other identification points are too variable to include in such a general article: around here, the scragginess of a tree is often more an indication of age - the scraggiest trees I can think of locally are all old oaks. Likewise the upward-curving branches - they are often more striking on horse-chestnuts; while the multiple trunks around ashes are not something very noticeable round here.

I really think that the leaves in summer/autumn, the keys, and the black buds are the most reliable identification features, and I have included all of those. What I would really like is a picture of a leaf and a winter twig, but not only would the entry have to be recommended first, but it would then have to be selected as the featured entry for some particular day. (I'm keeping my fingers crossed on both counts - Spirit's pictures are really the crowning touch to an entry!)

Finally, with regard to how common the ash is compared to the hawthorn or elder, I think there's an important difference in that ash trees are full-sized forest trees, which can form a climax forest in certain conditions, while both the elder and hawthorn are under-storey trees which are often considered as forming a shrub layer rather than the canopy layer of a forest. That makes them much more suitable as small hedgerow trees - what is striking about the ash trees in hedges is usually how big they get if they are not trimmed back.

Anyway, thanks for the comments - if this one gets accepted, I might try my hand at one or two more interesting trees. Maybe the hawthorn, or maybe the oak - though I've always regretted that Charlie Haughey decided that the oak should be our national tree, when between the hurleys and the old ash-elm forests, the ash is of particular importance in Ireland.
All the best
Azara

Azara, you're asking the wrong question there... it's not *if* the entry is accepted but *when* it is accepted because it *will* be, sooner or later
If you could be more specific as to the proposed day of appearance on the frontpage then I could perhaps try to alert some Scout with their picking day in the near future -- I just shot my three arrows before finding this thread

Bossel, what a disillusioning remark! I thought that you were the one who was simultaneously aware of *all* the threads in Peer Review!

Anyway, I'm not particularly worried - the length of time it takes to get picked is a good reflection of how much other good stuff there is around.

Azara

Thanks for the confidence But no, I've got a job and other things, and my field of view still does *not* cover everything round here, and I got set back by the Workshop clean-up

I like it! Especially the Appearance paragraph - I remember the odd-looking black buds on the avenue of young ash trees near my school - but the entry is well-balanced overall. I might have put "pinnate" in the body instead of a footnote, but it makes absolutely no difference. It flows very well as you have it.

In Irish terms, "a splash" probably does refer to dry weather!

Hi Azra,

A fine piece of work. I'm no botanist and couldn't start to add anything technical to this, but it's an interesting item even for those of us who didn't know what "pinnate" meant!

The only thing I would mention is that I had to read the "Sexual Confusion" paragraph twice to work out where you switched from talking about general plants & trees to the ash specifically. This may just be me being dense but you might want to throw in a strategic "ash trees" in place of plain "trees".

Anyway - a first class entry

Ugi

I meant Azara, of course - sorry

Thanks for the comments, Nora and Ugi!

Ugi, I had another look at the 'sexual confusion' paragraph and I see what you mean. I changed the 'trees' to 'ash trees' where you suggested.

That's what I like about Peer Review - it's a great way to catch the things that I think are obvious but which look obscure to everyone else.

Azara

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