Ash tree hermaphrodite flowe

A twig of an ash tree, Fraxinus excelsior in April (UK), with hermaphrodite flowers. In this picture, two types of flower are visible, arranged as if on a tiny bunch of grapes. The male flowers (anthers) bear pollen, and are seen as elliptical darker purple structures with white centres. The white is the pollen, exposed as the anther split open. The female flowers ( stigmas ) are a lighter hue, most clearly visible at the periphery ( e.g. two pointing downwards at the base).Ash is wind pollinated. It produces hermaphrodite flowers as here, but also male flowers, which release huge numbers of pollen grains. Seed production by ash is very high. This results in a large pool of cross-pollinated genetically diverse young ash plants in woodlands, that may contain trees with resistance to diseases such as Chalara dieback, caused by Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, formerly Chalara fraxinea.