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Ailanthus altissima

(Chinese Tree-Of-Heaven)

Overview

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Shrub , Tree . Ailanthus altissima is a very aggressive plant, a prolific seed producer (up to 350,000 seeds in a year), grows rapidly, and can overrun native vegetation. It also produces toxins that prevent the establishment of other plant species. The root system is aggressive enough to cause damage to sewers and foundations. The wood is often used in China for lumber, fuelwood and other products. In the U.S. it is occasionally used for low-grade lumber, pulpwood and fuelwood. The toxin produced in the bark and leaves of A. altissima is being studied as a possible source for a natural herbicide . It is used in traditional herbal medicine in China.

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Afrikaans:

Hemelboom

Common Names in Dutch:

Hemelboom

Common Names in English:

Ailanthus, China-Sumac, Chinese Sumac, Chinese Tree-Of-Heaven, Copal Tree, Stink Tree, Stinking Shumac, Stinktree, Tree of Heaven, Tree-Of-Heaven, Varnishtree

Common Names in Informal Latinized N:

Ailanthus

Common Names in Italian:

Ailanto, Albero Del Paradiso

Common Names in Spanish:

Barniz Falso De Japan

Common Names in Swedish:

Gudaträd

Description

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Physical Description

Species Ailanthus altissima

A. altissima is a small to medium-sized tree in the mostly tropical Quassia family . It has smooth , grey bark and leaves are compound , 1-4 feet in length , alternate, odd-pinnate, with 11-25 lanceolate leaflets . Most leaflets have one to three coarse teeth near their base . Mature trees can reach 80 feet or more in height . Flowers occur in panicles at the ends of branches and the male flowers produce a strong odour described as the smell of burnt peanut butter. The leaves when crushed also produce a distinctive odour. Seeds are centred in a papery sheath called a samara. The samaras are slightly twisted or curled, and twirl as they fall to the ground . The wood of A. altissima is soft, weak, coarse-grained, and creamy white to light brown in color.

ID Features: Very large, pinnately compound leaves with many leaflets. General acrid odor to plant (male flowers, leaves, twigs). Twigs short, reddish-brown, velvety. Large leaf scars with small, two-scaled buds. Light brown, wide pith.

Habit: Medium-sized shade tree . Upright, spreading and open; few, coarse branches.

Flowers: Blooms in early to mid-June. 8" to 16" panicles of inconspicuous yellowish flowers. Dioecious; male flowers malodorous . • Bloom Period: April, May. • Flower Color: green

Seeds: Fruit: Samara, 1.5" long, on female trees . Yellowish to bright red, turning brown when ripe . Wing of fruit is twisted, enabling samara to spin rapidly when falling. Fruit clusters persist and offer interest in late summer through winter.

Foliage: Summer foliage: Alternate, pinnately compound , 18" to 24" long, with up to 25 leaflets . Dark green. A tropical-looking leaf. • Fall foliage: None.

Size/Age/Growth

Growth Rate: Very fast growing (3' to 5' per year) • Size: 40' to 60' tall and nearly as wide.

Landscaping

Landscape Uses: Useful in urban settings where trees won't normally grow. May be useful at seaside or roadside sites, due to its salt tolerance. Old, established trees have a unique exotic appearance due to massive. trunks and tropical-looking foliage . • Liabilities: Prolific fruiting, ready germination, adaptability to harsh sites and. rapid growth rate make it a noxious weed in many places. Short-lived, in general. Male flowers, bruised twigs and crushed leaves have an acrid odor. Weak, softwood breaks easily in storms. Verticillium wilt.

Habitat

A. altissima establishes itself readily on disturbed sites, such as railroad embankments , highway medians , fencerows, and roadsides. In naturally forested areas, A. altissima may become established in areas disturbed by storms or infestations . A. altissima has the ability to grow in poor soils and under stressful environmental conditions . It grows in full sun and thrives in poor growing conditions. Germination rates are high, provided soil has adequate moisture. It is well adapted to heavy clays and other soils with low nutrient and oxygen content.

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,998 meters (0 to 9,836 feet).[1]

Biome: Agricultural areas, disturbed areas, natural forest , urban areas

Ecology: All over the United States, A. altissima has become a pest of agricultural, urban and forested areas. Seedlings and root suckers of A. altissima grow rapidly and spread prolifically and thus quickly out-compete many native species for sunlight and space. It also produces a toxin in its bark and leaves. As it accumulates in the soil, the toxin inhibits the growth of other plants . The root system is capable of damaging sewers and foundations.

Biology

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Reproduction

A. altissima reproduces both sexually (seeds) and asexually (vegetative sprouts). Flowering occurs late in the spring (June in the middle Atlantic region of eastern United States). The species is dioecious (trees have either male or female flowers). A single tree can produce around 325,000 to 350,000 seeds a year. Trees grow quickly, as stump sprouts grow up to 3 cm per day.

Established trees produce numerous suckers from the roots and sprout vigorously from cut stumps and root fragments. Seedlings establish a taproot three months after germination. A. altissima probably lives for no more than 100 years in North America (usually less) but the root system and its sprouts can persist for a longer time.

Growth

Culture: Adaptable to the most disagreeable conditions (salt, pollution , poor soil,. heat, drought ).

Soil: Minimum pH: 4.5 • Maximum pH: .1

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Ailanthus glandulosa Desf.

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000.

Place of publication : J. Wash . Acad. Sci. 6:495. 1916

Name verified on 05-May-1994 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 22-May-1997

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Ailanthus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 66 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

A. altisima · A. altissima (Chinese Tree-Of-Heaven) · A. altissima (Mill.) Swingle 'Acubaefolia' · A. altissima f. erythrocarpa · A. altissima f. rubra · A. altissima (Mill.) Swingle 'Pendulifolia' · A. altissima (Mill.) Swingle 'Tricolor' · A. altissima var. erythrocarpa · A. altissima var. leucoxyla · A. altissima var. microphylla · A. altissima var. myriocephala · A. altissima var. sutchuenensis · A. altissima var. tanakae · A. altissima var. tanakai · A. americana · A. blancoi · A. cacodendron · A. calycina · A. confucii · A. duclouxii · A. erythrocarpa · A. esquirolii · A. excelsa · A. fauveliana · A. flavescens · A. fordii · A. giraldi · A. giraldii · A. giraldii Dode var. duclouxii (Dode) Rehder · A. glandulosa · A. glandulosa Desf. var. rubra hort. · A. glandulosa var. erythrocarpa · A. gracilis · A. grandis · A. guangxiensis · A. imberbiflora · A. imberbiflora var. imberbiflora · A. imberbiflora var. macartneyi · A. integrifolia (White Siris) · A. integrifolia integrifolia · A. integrifolia subsp. integrifolia · A. japonica · A. kurzii · A. lesquereuxi · A. macrophylla · A. mairei · A. malabarica · A. mascula · A. moluccana · A. peekelii · A. peregrina · A. philippinensis · A. pongelion · A. procera · A. punctata · A. purpurascens · A. rhodoptera · A. rubra · A. scripta · A. simplex · A. sutchuenensis · A. triphysa · A. vietnamensis · A. vilmoriana · A. vilmoriniana · A. wighti

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 21, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Mean = 267.560 meters (877.822 feet), Standard Deviation = 326.350 based on 1,084 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 7/1/2009