Ailanthus altissima
Tree of Heaven
Simaroubaceae

Located next to warehouse and heating plant.

  • leaves alternate, pinnate compound, very long, with 13-25 leaflets
  • leaflets lanceolate-ovate, with coarse marginal teeth at base (unlike Rhus typhina)
  • leaflets dark green, little fall color
  • buds small, rounded, squat, reddish brown, usually with two visible scales
  • buds sit above large, distinct horseshoe-shaped leaf scars on stem
  • stems thick, coarse, yellow-brown, with little or know hair (contrast with Rhus typhina)
  • stems have unpleasant smell when crushed
  • bark on older stems has fine vertical lines
  • flowers dioecious, in large clusters, green-yellow, often with unpleasant aroma
  • fruit found only on mature female trees, a narrow winged samara borne in large clusters (contrast with Rhus typhina)
  • habit is an upright, small-medium tree with open crown and coarse habit
  • plant suckers readily from the roots to form groves and thickets
  • plant is an escaped weed found in unmanaged and waste places

View Ailanthus altissima page in the UConn Plant Database

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