Fraxinus excelsior L.

The ash, European ash or common ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.), is a species in the family Oleaceae, the olive family. It is a large deciduous tree growing to 12-18 meters (exceptionally reaching up to 35 meters when fully grown). The leaves are opposite and pinnately compound with 7-13 leaflets. The flowers are dioecious, without perianth, arranged in short panicles and pollinated by the wind. A typically female tree can produce male flowers in the following year and vice versa. The fruit is a samara, commonly called 'ash keys'.

Native to the British Isles, Mainland Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa, ash is one of the most common trees in the UK. However, its population is rapidily declining due to the ash dieback, a disease caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus Baral et al.

Depending on your climbing capability, you may need some basic equipment for the first stage of this climb. The rest should be straightforward.

Please know your limitations and do NOT attempt to reach this cache if you are unsure of your climbing abilities. Do at your own risk.

If the paper log in the cache is not signed, your online log will be deleted.