A prickly ash thicket grows near College Creek, northeast of the Memorial Union.
The prickly ash is a shrub
or small tree often forming thickets by reproducing from root sprouts. Leaf
stems (rachises) are often prickly and paired spines often occur at the
base of the leaflets. The fruit is a red follicle about the size of a small
pea, which quickly numbs the mouth if chewed; hence the name "toothache
tree." It is a fast-growing tree, found both on dry, rocky upland hillsides
and on wet, lowlying ground, in clearings, open woods or in thickets.
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