First described in 1753 by Linnaeus , ash trees ( genus Fraxinus ) are find largely in the Northern Hemisphere , in Europe , North America and Asia . Depending on the species , ash tree tree can be improbable – between 80 and 120 feet in top . They are deciduous , with pinnate ( compound ) foliage and alternate leave . Some mintage , like Fraxinus ornus have clump of feathery , cream - colored efflorescence , but many have undistinguished , winding - cross-pollinate peak . Ash trees are part of the Oleaceae or olive family , related to privet , lilac and forsythia . Ash trees have many meaning – symbolic , historic and even magical .

Spiritual and Religious Meaning

Ash trees have always had occult and religious significance . In some European acculturation , ash tree wood is burned because the weed is consider to ward off evil spirit . In ancient Greece , the trees were dedicated to Poseidon , god of the seas , and to the sun . The ash is referred to as the " Tree of Life " from which humanity sprang in Norse mythology .

The Ash in Music and Poetry

" The Ash Grove " is the name of a traditional Welsh melody that has been used with several different solidification of words – some specific to ash tree trees , some just about rural themes – at dissimilar times and in different options . poet , specially Europeans , have often incorporated ash reference in their works . Because of the ash tree ’s grandness to the Norse the great unwashed ’s , it is an integral part of the poetry that comprises Norse mythology .

The Language of Flowers

The language of flowers assigns sentiments and significance to various blossoms . Long used in the Middle and Far East , this " language " was introduced in Europe in the eighteenth hundred . A hundred years later , Queen Victoria of England became an enthusiast , enhancing its popularity . In the terminology of blossom , blossoms from the ash tree tree symbolize grandeur .

Magical Associations and Meanings

An Elizabethan herbalist , John Gerard , wrote that snakes were so afraid of the ash tree tree they would not dare even to slither over its morning time or evening shadow . don ash tree leaf near the body – in a pouch or choke up in a iron heel – was viewed as a ophidian deterrent in some society . In traditional English folklore , the vernacular ash , Fraxinus excelsior , could also bring around warts . The offending wart was prick with a new stick , after which the pin was thrust into an ash tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and left there . The wart would disappear because the ash tree tree would take it from the pin and eliminate it . Hernia sufferers could take the air through a crevice in an ash and be bring around of that affliction .

Medicinal Significance

In the 4th century BC , the physician Hippocrates used a cookery deduce from the ash tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree to cure gout and rheumatism ( arthritis ) . Historically , various part of the trees have been compounded into tonic , diuretics and laxatives . When used fresh , the sap is a disinfectant and bark decoctions were worthful as astringents before the advent of more advanced products . In " A Modern Herbal , " Mrs. M. Grieve notice that traditional healer ( pre - twentieth C ) meld ash leaves with white wine to heal kidney pit . advanced foot aid product have supervene upon ash tree folio , which , in centuries past tense , were placed in shoes or boots as a way of fresh tired infantry .

References

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