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Mon 20 Dec, 2010 07:55 am
Hi,
I'm trying to figure out the local name (in Urdu or Hindi, preferably) of any varieties of the ash tree (Fraxinus). My knowledge of botany is pretty much non-existent, so any assistance you can offer would be much appreciated.
@bardophile,
I did Botany in college, and live in India, but I've no clue. And I feel like an idiot for it. But I'm going to try and find this for you.
@bardophile,
I use the Flowers of India site for translations in my gardening community on Orkut.
Here's the info I found. There are photos of the tree at the link so you can verify that it is what you seek.
http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Indian%20Ash%20Tree.html
Quote:
Common name: Indian Ash Tree, Moya, Wodier • Hindi: मोहिन Mohin • Manipuri: আমন Aaman • Marathi: मोई moi, शेमट shemat, शिमटी shimati, शिंटी shinti • Tamil: ஒதி Oti • Malayalam: ഒടിയന്മരമ് Otiyan-maram • Telugu: అజశృంగి Ajasrngi • Kannada: ಗೊದ್ದ Godda, ಗುಮ್ಪಿನ gumpina, ಕುರಟಿಗ kuratige, ಉದಿಮರ Udimara • Bengali: জিওল Jiola • Oriya: Indramai, Moi • Konkani: मोई Moi • Coorgi: ಗೊದ್ದನಮರ Goddana-mara • Assamese: জিযা Jia • Gujarati: માવૅડી Mavedi • Sanskrit: Jhingini
Botanical name: Lannea coromandelica Family: Anacardiaceae (Cashew family)
Synonyms: Dialium coromandelicum, Lannea grandis, Odina wodier
Indian Ash Tree is a deciduous tree, growing up to 14 m tall. Branchlets are minutely covered with starry hairs. Alternately arranged leaves are pinnate, with a single terminal leaflet (pinnae) at the end. The spine carrying the leaflets is up to 7 cm long. Leaflets are usually 5, each laterals opposite, ovate, base rounded, densely velvet-hairy when young. Flowers are unisexual, greenish, the male in compound and female in simple racemes. Sepals 4, about 1 mm long, broad ovate. Petals 4, 2 mm long, oblong, green yellow. Fruit is ovoid, compressed, in panicles, at the end of leafless branches. Flowering: January-March.
Here's another:
http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Three-Leaved%20Maple.html
Quote:Common name: Three-Leaved Maple, Ash Maple, Ash-leaf Maple, Black Ash, California Boxelder, Cutleaf Maple, Cut-leaved Maple, Negundo Maple, Red River Maple, Stinking Ash, Sugar Ash, Boxelder Maple
Botanical name: Acer negundo Family: Aceraceae (Maple family)
Three-Leaved Maple is a small, usually fast-growing and fairly short-lived tree that grows up to 10-25 m tall, with a trunk diameter of 30-50 cm, rarely up to 1 m. It often has several trunks and can form impenetrable thickets. The shoots are green, often with a whitish to pink or violet waxy coating when young. Branches are smooth, somewhat brittle, and tend to retain a fresh green colour rather than forming a bark of dead, protective tissue. The bark on its trunks is pale gray or light brown, deeply cleft into broad ridges, and scaly. Unlike most other maples, which usually have simple, palmately lobed leaves, Acer negundo has compound leaves that usually have 3-7 leaflets. Simple leaves are also occasionally present - technically, these are single-leaflet compound leaves. The leaflets are about 5-10 cm long and 3-7 cm wide with slightly toothed margins. Leaves have a translucent light green colour and turn yellow in the fall. The flowers are small and appear in early spring on drooping racemes 10-20 cm long. The seeds are paired samaras, each seed slender, 1-2 cm long, with a 2-3 cm incurved wing. They drop in autumn or they may persist through winter. Seeds are usually both prolific and fertile. Unlike most other maples, Three-Leaved Maple is fully dioecious and both a "male" and "female" tree are needed for either to reproduce. Three-Leaved Maple is native to North America, planted in gardens in Kashmir.
From what I am reading, the trees labeled "Ash" on the Flowers of India site are not of the same family as the Fraxinus. I'll look a bit further and post more info as I find it.
@Butrflynet,
I posted an inquiry in the gardening community. Should have a response sometime this evening.
@Butrflynet,
I've been told by two people that the first link I gave you is the correct one. In Hindi, it is called Mohin.
@Butrflynet,
It would make sense that the Celts, who originated in the area of India, used the ashes of the ash tree in making Europe's first soap...