Fraxinus ornus (Flowering Ash, Manna Ash)
Family: Oleaceae
Origin: S Europe, SW Asia
Accession: 1978
Location: Beside native hillside
Fraxinus ornus is a small,
round-headed deciduous tree 10-15m in height, with deep green, pinnate leaves
and showy panicles of fragrant creamy-white flowers in early summer. It is
suitable for drier, calcareous soils, and is frequently grown as an ornamental
tree in Europe. It is susceptible to ash dieback, but while this fungus poses a
serious threat to other European ash species, F. ornus does
not appear to be a natural host of the pathogen. In the past it was
cultivated for its sap, and an extract of the sap, mannitol, was used
commercially as a sweetener and for producing medicine. Today mannitol can be
produced synthetically, and traditional manna production has declined,
continuing in just a few rural areas of Sicily.
Thanks to Maggie Gowland for photographs.
