Complete Name : Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle
Taxonomy : Magnoliophyta » » Eudicotyledonae » Sapindales » Simaroubaceae » Ailanthus altissima
Authors : Corina Basnou and Montserrat Vilà
Last Updated : December 1st, 2006

Tree of heaven, Chinese sumac, stinking sumac, stinking quassia, copal tree, sumac tree, ailanthus.

Ailanthus cacodendron - (Ehrh.) Schinz & Thell.
Ailanthus glandulosa - Desf.
Ailanthus peregrina - (Buchoy) F. A. Barkley
Pongelion cacodendron - (Ehrh.) Degen
Rhus cacodendron - Ehrh.
Toxicodendron altissimum - Mill.

This fast growing deciduous tree, 8-10 m high, has large compound leaves, composed of 11- 25 leaflets that alternate along the stems. Fruits are very distinctive for their long samaras forming large bunches, turning reddish in summer. All parts of the tree, especially the flowers, have a strong odour.

• Dispersal Mechanisms
  • The winged seeds are wind dispersed. Water and machinery can also disperse seeds. Some birds could also be legitimate seed dispersers.
• Reproduction
  • It is a dioecious plant (trees have either male or female flowers). Flowering and pollination occur in late spring. Although disagreeable to humans, the strong odour of flowers attracts honeybees, beetles, and other insects. The fruit is called samara (a winged fruit) and contains a single seed. One individual can produce up to 325 000 seeds per year. It also reproduces vegetatively, spreading profusely from suckers. Sprouts may emerge up to 15 m from the nearest existing stem.
• Known Predators/Herbivores
  • It has high resistance to herbivory and seed predation.
• Resistant Stages (seeds, spores etc.)
  • Most seeds are viable, even those that overwinter on the tree and disperse in spring.

• Native (EUNIS Code)
  • Very little is known about the native habitat.
• Habitat Occupied in Invaded Range (EUNIS Code)
  • It mostly invades interior forests via roads, trails or windthrow. F5: Maquis, matorral and thermo-Mediterranean brushes, G: Woodland and forest habitats and other wooded land, I: Regularly or recently cultivated agricultural, horticultural and domestic habitats, J1: Buildings of cities, towns and villages, J4: Transport networks and other constructed hard-surfaced areas, J6: Waste deposits, X24: Domestic gardens of city and town centres.
• Habitat Requirements
  • Markedly resistant to disturbed or stressed habitats, tolerates varying temperatures, humidity, light and moisture levels. It is highly tolerant of poor air quality and poor soils. The tree is intolerant of shade and sensitive to ozone.

It was introduced in Europe in the 1700s as an ornamental. The Chinese use the wood for lumber, fuelwood and also in folk medicine. It is a bioindicator of ozone pollution. When subjected to heavy ozone concentrations, the leaves show spotting damage and drop off.

• Native Range
  • Eastern Asia (China)
• Known Introduced Range
  • Europe, Macaronesia Islands, Africa, United States, Southern America, Asia, Australia
• Trend
  • In Europe it is increasing close to urban areas, probably due to climate warming.

known distribution area (in CGRS grid squares; in countries; along coast)

	eradicated
	extinct
	not present; eradicated
	native distribution range in CGRS grid squares
	native range
	assumed native range
	infrequent distribution
	key distribution area
	not established

• Ecosystem Impact
  • It is a fast growing tree forming dense thickets which compete with the native vegetation. In addition, it has allelopathic effects, principally due to ailanthone.
• Health and Social Impact
  • Contact with plant sap can produce dermatitis. Long exposure to the sap (i.e. team clearing people) can produce myocarditis due to plant quassinoid proteins.
• Economic Impact
  • Can be a tree-fall hazard along roads. The root system can damage pavements, archaeological remains, walls, etc.

• Prevention
  • Avoid planting it as an ornamental. Treated areas should be rechecked several times a year, in order to avoid new root suckers.
• Mechanical
  • Repeated cutting, mowing or hand pulling could be effective for small and young infestations. However, mechanical treatments are worthless due to prolific sucker resprouting; and only successful when followed up by a chemical application.
• Chemical
  • Spraying the foliage with glyphosate products is very effective. Foliar applications should be followed three or four weeks later by basal bark applications. Another possibility is the stump treatment using Garlon, which must be conducted immediately after cutting. Although suckering from the roots is inevitable after cutting, this method will prevent vigorous stump sprouts.
• Biological
  • May be attacked by several fungal pathogens, such as Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum.

The following contributors have provided records in the DAISIE database for this species.

The following experts registered themselves as having knowledge about this species or its family.

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Meloche C, Murphy SD (2006) Managing tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima) in parks and protected areas: A case study of Rondeau Provincial Park (Ontario, Canada). Environmental Management 37(6): 764-772

Swearingen J (1999) Tree-of-heaven, Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle. Plant Conservation Alliance, Alien Plant Working Group. http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/aial1.htm. Cited 10 Nov 2006

Vilà M., M. Tessier, C. M. Suehs, G. Brundu, L. Carta, A. Galanidis, P. Lambdon, M. Manca, F. Médail, E. Moragues, A. Traveset, A. Y. Troumbis y P. E. Hulme. 2006. Regional assessment of the impacts of plant invaders on vegetation structure and soil properties of Mediterranean islands. Journal of Biogeography 33:853-861

Bisognano, J. D., K. S. McGrody, et al. (2005). "Myocarditis from the Chinese Sumac Tree." Annals of Internal Medicine 143(2):159-160

Bory G, Clair-Maczulajtys D (1980) Production, dissemination and polymorphism of seeds in Ailanthus altissima. Revue Generale de Botanique 88(1049/1051):297-311

Call LJ, Nilsen ET (2005) Analysis of interactions between the invasive tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima) and the native black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). Journal Plant Ecology 176 (2):275-285

Facelli, J. and S. Pickett (1991) Plant litter: light interception and effects on an old-field plant community Ecology 72:1024-1031

Feo, V. D., L. D. Martino, et al. (2003) Isolation of Phytotoxic Compounds from Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima Swingle) Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 51:1177-1180

Ding JQ, Wu Y, Zheng H (2006) Assessing potential biological control of the invasive plant, tree-of-heaven, Ailanthus altissima. Biocontrol Science and Technology 16 (6):547-566

Heisey RM (1990) Allelopathic and herbicidal effects of extracts from tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima). American Journal of Botany 77(5):662-670

Heisey RM (1990) Evidence for allelopathy by tree-of-heaven. Journal of Chemical Ecology. 16(6): 2039-2055

Heisey RM (1996) Identification of an allelopathic compound from Ailanthus altissima (Simaroubaceae) and characterization of its herbicidal activity. American Journal of Botany. 83(2):192-200

Hu SY (1979) Ailanthus. Arnoldia 39(2):29-50

Kowarik I (1983) The acclimatization and phytogeographical behavior of the tree of heaven in the French Mediterranean area. Phytocoenologia 11(3):389-406

Kowarik, I. (1995). "Clonal growth in Ailanthus altissima on a natural site in west Virginia." Journal of Vegetation Science 6:853-856

Lawrence JG, Colwell A, Sexton Owen J (1991) The ecological impact of allelopathy in Ailanthus altissima (Simaroubaceae). American Journal of Botany 78(7):948-958

Trifilo P, Raimondo F, Nardini A, Lo Gullo MA, Salleo S (2004) Drought resistance of Ailanthus altissima: root hydraulics and water relations. Tree Physiology 24:107-114