Toni Leland
The Tree of Heaven, aka Ailanthus altissima, is a strange name for a plant that smells like carrion and runs rampant through our landscape.
This nasty prolific tree grows so densely and so rapidly that native species are literally wiped out. The tree and all of its parts are toxic, and it secretes some of those toxins into the soil. It has no natural pests, but welcomes some of our most harmful invasive insects -- including the Spotted Lanternfly.
Tree of Heaven grows about three feet per year and produces hundreds of thousands of seeds; it also spreads via underground suckers. Viewed from a distance, the tree is quite lovely with its lacy leaves, tall stature, and red and yellow seed clusters. If you've ever had one of these trees near your property, you are quite well acquainted with the hundreds of little seedlings that suddenly appear in your lawn. And don't crush the leaves! The smell is revolting.
Once again, this species was introduced by horticulturists about 240 years ago as a beautiful shade tree, and now the tree is well-rooted in all but six states here in the U.S. Scientists have worked for years to find a defense against this tree, and recently a fungus was found that actually kills this tree. It is a fungus found in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia and is called Verticillium nonalfalfae and gives hope that Tree of Heaven will someday be controlled.
Another tree that is confusingly similar, but more of a native plant is Staghorn Sumac, or Rhus typhina. In the early months of the year, the plants look almost the same, but once the blooms begin, Sumac is easily distinguished from Tree of Heaven. Large upright dark red-brown blooms appear above the leaves of sumac. Though it is native to North America, it can be considered invasive in the sense that it spreads rapidly and can smother other vegetation.
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