Almost mature berries (mid-summer). Note the thorns at each leaf-node as well as other random spots. Close-up of a single leaflet. It can be easy to mistake an Ash tree for Black Walnut, Maple, Boxelder, Hickory or Dogwood trees. Fraxinus excelsior is a deciduous Tree growing to 30 m (98ft) by 20 m (65ft) at a fast rate. The Blueberry Ash Elaeocarpus reticulatus is a large shrub or small tree which produces lots of sweet smelling bell-shaped pink or white flowers in spring and early summer. One group has berries that are usually processed into jelly or jams and are barely edible off the tree after frost if not after freezing a few times or a long stint in your freezer. Edible parts of Ash: Immature seed - usually pickled by steeping in salt and vinegar, and then used as a condiment for other foods. You will need to compare several plant characteristics, including the leaves, branches and seeds, to confidently identify an Ash tree. Ripe berries ejecting seeds. A manna is obtained from the tree. The smell is a little like aniseed or liquorice. An edible oil similar to sunflower (Helianthus annuus) oil is obtained from the seed. Mountain ashes around the world tend to fall into two groups. It is in leaf from May to October, in flower from April to May, and the seeds ripen from September to January. Compound leaf of Prickly Ash. The leaves are sometimes used as an adulterant for tea. (mid-summer) Empty seed husks. Then, there are the edible cones, seeds and pollen of the Pinus genus. The seeds were once valued as ‘pannage’ to feed pigs. Its brilliant blue berries take quite a long time to ripen with some hanging on the branches until the next flowering season. Young berries (springtime). Beech trees tend to produce an abundance of seeds in infrequent ‘mast years’, at which point large flocks of bramblings often congregate to feed on them. No further details are given. Ash trees belong to the Fraxinus species and grow commonly in cities and forests. It is hardy to zone (UK) 4 and is not frost tender. Nutritious pine nuts are often not considered for food because they are … The woody cones that produce seeds within their framework are female. Rowan is another name for the European Mountain Ash. Mature tree trunk of Zanthoxylum clava-herculis. (late summer) Seed husks in winter. Seeds are shiny brown and triangular in cross section, with one or two in each prickly husk. These are delicious when shelled and roasted.