MADCap Horse: (News Flash) adding Viburnum and Honeysuckle to the opposite leaf group

Back in the old days, naturalist course in oughty two thousand fifteen, it was only MAD-horse.  An acronym to remember the few trees which have opposite leaves, Maple, Ash and Dogwood plus the horse chestnut.  Some are now using MAD Cap horse to include the capriofoliaceae group both viburnum and honeysuckle.  There are references to this on the net going back a few years, I was just slow to get the word.  In the meantime classifications are evolving meaning the "Cap" part may be less accurate. It is still a nice memory device.

Rolandvue has all the opposite leaf trees but the ash is less common.  There is a small ash in the woods near the white shed along the flat part of Wagner.  There are larger ash near the Riderwood school, probably with some emerald ash borer infestations.  This may be why the small ash never seem to grow well.  Within 20 feet are all the other trees, dogwood, horse chestnut ( maybe actually yellow buckeye) ash,honey suckle and viburnum and lots of small maples.  It is a good reminder that box elder is a maple and is also nearby.

So there is a class in opposite leaf bushes and trees within 10 yards of Wagner Road, it is just that the ash tree is very small.

opposite leaves on a dogwood, south side of Wagner  Rd.

opposite compound leaves of an Ash tree in the same areas. There are maple,viburnum,honey suckle and horse chestnut nearby (MADCap Horse)

There is also the question of opposite branching occurring in the MAD horse group.  This is illustrated in the same area as the ash tree.  Looking at the dogwoods in the same area, this is not all that obvious, but still present.  There is some binary branching that does not look opposite .

opposite branching on one of the MAD (maple,ash, dogwood ) trees.

Here is a photo of the Ash leave from Riverwood school near the tennis courts.  The trees have shiny lesions but I have not seen the caterpillar or the adult emerald ash borer.  There are no traps in the branches.  The trees are on the large side for ash.

Probable ash leave maybe Green Ash from Riverwood school.