The tree is native to the sub-continent including Pakistan. In Pakistan it is found from Swat to Azad Kashmir and Hazara.
The heartwood is distinct from sapwood. The sapwood is yellowish or grayish white in color and very broad while heartwood color is grayish-white to light-brown. The wood of Ash is straight-grained, medium-fine with uneven-texture.
The wood is ring porous, growth rings are distinct. The vessels are variable in size. The springwood vessels are large to medium sized, solitary,7-15 per milimeter square in numbers,173-268 µ in diameter. The summerwood vessels are very small to extremely small in size, solitary or in short radial rows of 2-3 cells, 47-153u in diameter. The wood rays are fine and not distinct with the naked eye. There are 3-9 cells (62-356u) in ray height and 1-3 cells (14-54u) in ray width. The parenchyma is in the form of terminal, paratracheal, paratracheal-zonate and metatrachea. The ash wood fibers are semi-libriform to libriform, 0.56-1.58mm long, 9.52-27.85u in diameter and their walls are 2.22-5.83u in thickness.
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| Cross view of Ash wood | Tangential view of Ash wood | Wood fibers of Ash wood |
The wood of Ash is excellent for making tool handles, furniture, bed-steads, turnery articles, oars, and sports goods. It can also be used in construction.
1. Pearson, R.S and H.P. Brown.1932. Commercial Timbers of India.pp715-718.