Common Names
Fringe tree, American fringe tree, graybeard tree, old man's beard, poison ash, snowdrop tree, snowflowers, white fringe, white fringe tree

Description
A shrub or tree about 35 feet in height. Leaves are opposite, simple, pinnately-veined, 4 to 8 inches long. Produces many 1 inch long white flowers with a 4-lobed white corolla. Berries are fleshy, globular, and purple.

Flowering Period
April to May.

Habitat
Damp woods, thickets, bluffs, and dry woods.

Harvest
Root bark and fresh bark of trunks in the fall.

Uses
The bark is used as a tonic, diuretic, and astringent also used to reduce fever. In Appalachia a liquid of root bark is applied to skin irritations.