8/8/2019 Ailanthus Science Factsheet

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AILANTHUSScience PageDID YOU KNOW?Ailanthus can growin places wherealmost nothing elsewill grow. It caneven grow out of

cracks in sidewalksin polluted cities.

ORIGINSAilanthus is anative of China.In the US, it wasfirst planted inPhiladelphia in1784. It wasa popular tree

among urbangardeners becauseof its large,

THE AILANTHUS PLANTAilanthus trees grow rapidly, and can reach25 meters (80 ft) or more in height.

All parts of the plant, butespecially the flowers,have a strong smell.

In spring, yellow flowersappear at the tips of thebranches. Male and femaleflowers are on different trees.

In summerand early fall,clusters of redfruits ripenon the female

trees. One treecan producethousands offruits eachyear, which areblown by thewind to newgrowing places.

A clusterof fruit is15-30 cm(6-12 in)long.

The leaves are largewith pointed leaflets.

30-60 cm

(12-24 in)

The rootsexude achemical thathinders thegrowth ofother plants.

CLASSIFYING AILANTHUS

FAMILYSimaroubaceae (Quassia family)

GENUSAilanthus

There are about 10 species inthis genus, all native to Asiaand Australia.

SPECIESaltissima

Altissima is Latin fortallest. Ailanthus growsto overeight

storieshigh.

FRIEND...In poorer

countriesthe woodis used forlumberand fuel. InEast Asiathe fruitsare used intraditionalmedicine.

...OR FOE?In cities, ailanthus trees can

sprout and grow next to buildings,and damage foundations.In woodlots, the treescan quickly take overand crowd out otherspecies. Once itstarts to grow,it is very difficult tokill, because new shoots cansprout up from the roots.

The family is namedafter its members in thegenus Simarouba.

The common name forthe family, Quassia,comes from one of its

members, the quassiatree. This tree wasnamed after a famoushealer in Surinam, whoused its bark to curefevers. All the tropicaltrees and shrubs in theQuassia family havebitter tasting wood.A chemical calledquassiin, taken fromthe heartwood of somespecies, is used ininsecticides.

Simarouba glauca(paradise tree)

Quassia amara(quassia tree)

beautiful leaves, rapid growth, and hardiness.Now the plant is considered a weedy pestbecause it quickly takes over new areas.

Ailanthus comes from theMoluccan word meaning skytree or tree of heaven.(Molucca is a language spokenon some of the islands ofIndonesia.)

A. malabarica

A. altissima

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This Science Page is funded by the Weed Science Society of America (www.wssa.net).

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Each fruithas oneseed.

femaleflower

maleflower

There are about 150 members in this family.

Most are tropical trees and shrubs.

8/8/2019 Ailanthus Science Factsheet

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PUZZLE SPOTLIGHTON RESEARCH

Word ScrambleAilanthus is a native of (1) NICAH. The scientificname for ailanthus isAilanthus (2) MALIASTSI.Male and female ailanthus flowers are on (3)REPASEAT trees. The fruits of Ailanthus areone-seeded and (4) GWENID. All parts of theailanthus tree, but especially the flowers, havea strong (5) MELLS. Ailanthus is difficult to getrid of because new shoots can sprout from (6)TOROS.

TRY THIS

Ailanthus Survey Do ailanthus trees grow in yourneighborhood? If so, where are they growing?What are they like? Do this survey to find out.What you need* map of your neighborhood* pencil and paper* pictures of ailanthus for identificationWhat to do1. Take a walk all around your neighborhood

and look for ailanthus trees. When you find atree, mark it on your map with a number.

2. Estimate the size (for example, seedling,small tree, medium tree, or tall tree) ofthe tree. Note the sex of the tree. You maybe able to tell by looking at the flowers

or, in the case of a female tree, by notingthe presence of fruit. Note the growingconditions that are present. For example,is the tree growing in full sun or mostly inshade? What is the soil like? Note if the treeis damaging or is likely to damage buildingfoundations or underground pipes. Make achart with these headings to record yourobservations:datespecimen numbersizesex (if female, does it have fruits?)

growing conditionscausing damage?

3. Prepare a report of your findings.

...

Mapping AilanthusOne female ailanthus tree can produce more

than 300,000 winged seeds each year. Theseeds can ride the wind for great distances,

and when they land, they can quickly sproutand grow into new trees. In many parts of theUnited States ailanthus is quickly spreadingfrom the cities to the countryside. In somesuburban areas, thick stands grow alonghighways, overtaking native habitats.

Scientists at the West Virginia University aretrying to better understand where ailanthus hasspread, and where it is likely to invade in thefuture. To do this, they plotted the location of allthe female trees in 9 different 85-hectare plotsacross a typical urban-rural gradient (a straightline drawn from the city, through the suburbs,to the countryside). They used both air photosand ground surveys to find all the female treeswithin the 9 plots. The female trees can easilybe spotted on air photos taken when the seedsripen in mid-summer.

The scientists discovered that there areequal numbers of female trees in the urban andsuburban plots. There are far fewer in the ruralplots where native forests are intact. However,urban trees already occupy most of the availablespace where they can live, except where peoplecontinually remove saplings. Suburban treesare found at the edges of roadsides and forests,and in other places where native habitat has

been disturbed. They are poised to spread intonew areas in the suburbs, especially where newroads and homes are being built.

QUOTE

The one tree in Francies yard was neither apine nor a hemlock. It had pointed leaves which

grew along green switches which radiated fromthe bough and made a tree which looked like alot of opened up green umbrellas. Some peoplecall it the Tree of Heaven. No matter whereits seed fell, it made a tree which struggledto reach the sky. It grew in boarded-up plotsand out of neglected rubbish heaps, and it wasthe only tree that grew out of cement. It grewlushly, but only in the tenement districts.- fromA Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Tandem Publishing Co. Ltd, (1971) p. 5.Answerstopuzzle:(1)China;(2)altissima;

(3)separate;(4)winged;(5)smell;(6)roots.

Garden Mosaics is funded by the National Science Foundation Informal Science Education program, and bythe College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University.

This Science Page is funded by the Weed Science Society of America (www.wssa.net).

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Source: Landerberger, R.E., McGraw, J.B., and Warner, T.A. [poster](2005) Spatial patterns of femaleAilanthus altissima across anurban-to-rural land use gradient in the mid-Atlantic region, U.S.Department of Biology and Department of Geology and Geography,West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, U.S.A.