ILLINOIS PLANT INFORMATION NETWORK
 
 ILPIN INFORMATION ON    Ailanthus altissima
 
 
 CLASS:    DICOTYLEDENAE
 ORDER:    SAPINDALES
 FAMILY:   SIMAROUBACEAE
 SCIENTIFIC NAME:  Ailanthus altissima
 AUTHORITY:  (Mill.) Swingle
 
 COMMON NAMES:
    TREE-OF-HEAVEN
 
 SYNONOMY:   None
 
 PLANTS CODE: AIAL
 
 NATURAL COMMUNITIES:
     CULTURAL
       DEVELOPED LAND
 
 SAF FOREST COVER TYPE:  UNAVAILABLE
 
 NATURAL DIVISION:  UNAVAILABLE
 
 COUNTIES:
   ADAMS           ALEXANDER       BOONE           CASS            CHAMPAIGN
   CHRISTIAN       CLARK           COLES           COOK            CRAWFORD
   DEKALB          DOUGLAS         DUPAGE          EFFINGHAM       FORD
   FRANKLIN        FULTON          GREENE          GRUNDY          HANCOCK
   HARDIN          IROQUOIS        JACKSON         JEFFERSON       JERSEY
   JOHNSON         KANE            KANKAKEE        KENDALL         LAKE
   LAWRENCE        LIVINGSTON      LOGAN           MCDONOUGH       MCHENRY
   MCLEAN          MACON           MACOUPIN        MADISON         MARION
   MASSAC          MONROE          MONTGOMERY      MORGAN          MOULTRIE
   PEORIA          PERRY           PIKE            POPE            PULASKI
   PUTNAM          RANDOLPH        RICHLAND        ROCK ISLAND     ST. CLAIR
   SALINE          SANGAMON        SCOTT           SHELBY          UNION
   VERMILION       WABASH          WASHINGTON      WILL            WILLIAMSON
   WINNEBAGO
 
 GROWTH FORM:  Dicot-woody
 
 TAXONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS:
    ROOTS:  Primary
    LEAF ARRANGEMENT:   Alternate
    LEAF TYPE:    Compound  (pinnately)
    LEAF MARGIN:   Entire
    LEAF VENATION:  Pinnate
    LEAF SHAPE:     Oblong   Lanceolate
    INFLORESCENCE:   Panicle
    FLOWER MEROUS:  5
    FLOWER STRUCTURE:   Complete   Regular
    FLOWER COLOR:   Yellow   Green
    FLOWER PLACEMENT:  Hypogynous
    FRUIT:   Samara
 
 DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTIC COMMENTS:
     Species has malodorous flowers; leaves up to 41 leaflets
     unpleasantly scented when crushed; leaves sometimes with
     few teeth near base.
 
 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:
     ORIGIN:   Introduced-  Asia
 
 POPULATION DYNAMICS:
     STATE STATUS: Not listed
     FEDERAL STATUS: Not listed
     COMMONNESS:  Occasional
     ENDEMIC:   NOT-ENDEMIC
 
 BIOLOGIC:
     HABIT:   Tree
     LIFE CYCLE:   Perennial
     REPRODUCTION:   Sexual   Vegetative
     FLOWERING PERIOD:
         MONTH BEGINNING-      6         MONTH END-      7
     TROPHIC STATUS:  Autotrophic
     C02 FIXATION:  C3
     SEX:      Perfect     Unisexual
 
 BIOLOGIC COMMENTS:
     Species is polygamous.
 
 ECODISTRIBUTION COMMENTS:
     Species is distributed in disturbed woods, waste ground, dumps, alleys.
 
 ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS:   No data entered
 
 FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:
     MAJOR POLLINATION AGENT:   INSECT
     MYCORRHIZAE:   endomycorrhizal
 
 HUMAN RELATIONSHIP DATA:
     ALLERGENIC:  Yes
     EDIBLE:  Poisonous
     SHOWY FLOWERS:  YES      AMOUNT:  Low
     LANDSCAPING:  YES     AMOUNT:   High
 
 HUMAN FACTOR COMMENTS:
     Species is commonly planted as a shade tree, fast growing, staminate trees are
     malodorous; causes hayfever.
 
 WILDLIFE AND LIVESTOCK INFORMATION:   No data entered
 
 REVEGETATION PLANTINGS:
     WEEDINESS:   COLONIZING
 
 
 
 REFERENCES:
Jones, G. N.  1963.  Flora of Illinois.  Third ed.  American Midland Naturalist
     Monograph 7.  University of Notre Dame, Indiana.  401 pp.
Steyermark, J. A.  1963.  Flora of Missouri.  Iowa State University Press, Ames.
     1725 pp.
Gleason, H. A., and A. Cronquist.  1963.  Manual of vascular plants of north-
     eastern United States and adjacent Canada.  Van Nostrand Reinhold Co.,
     New York.  810 pp.
Fernald, M. L.  1950.  Gray's manual of botany.  8th ed.  American Book Co.,
     New York.  1632 pp.
Swink, F., and G. S. Wilhelm.  1979.  Plants of the Chicago region.  Third ed.
     The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois.  922 pp.
Mohlenbrock, R. H.  1980.  Forest trees of Illinois.  Third ed.  Illinois
     Department of Conservation, Division of Forestry, Springfield.  331 pp.
Downton, W. J. S.  1975.  The occurrence of C4 photosynthesis among plants.
     Photosynthetica 9(1): 96-105.
 
 END OF DATA FOR SPECIES  Ailanthus altissima
 
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 ILPIN was developed by Louis Iverson*, with data compiled by David Ketzner and Jeanne Karnes
 Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 E. Peabody Dr., Champaign, IL 61820
     *currently employed by USDA Forest Service, 359 Main Rd., Delaware, OH 43015