Botanical name : |
Ailanthus altissima |
Family : |
Simaroubaceae (Quassia) |
Common name : |
tree of heaven |
Also known as : |
Ailanthus glandulosa, Chinese sumac, stinking shumac |
Where is it originally
from? : |
China |
What does it look like? : |
Deciduous tree with smooth, grey, pale-striped bark, and leaves made up of 11-25 alternating hairless leaflets (7-17cm long x 3-7.5 cm wide) with bluish green undersides and 1-3 coarse teeth near their bases. Clusters of yellow-green flowers (2.5-4 mm long petals) produced from December to January are followed by seeds enclosed in pink to tan papery, twisted and winged sheaths. Bark is grey, pale-striped and smooth. All parts of the tree have a strong smell that can be described as similar to peanuts or cashews. |
Are there any similar
species? : |
Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac) has hairy branchlets and petioles, and flowers from October to November, producing hairy fruit. |
Why is it weedy? : |
Grows rapidly and forms dense thickets of suckering shoots. |
How does it spread? : |
Produces suckering shoots from an aggressive root system, as well as large amounts of seed. |
What damage does it do? : |
Out-competes native species for sunlight and space, and produces a toxin in its bark and leaves that accumulates in the soil to prevent other plant species establishing near it. The root system is capable of damaging drains. |
Which habitats is
it likely to invade? : |
High light areas with poor soil (such as clay), spreading along roadsides and waste places from gardens or plantations. |
What can I do to get
rid of it? : |
1. Hand pull seedlings and small plants (all year round): remove all roots and fragments, as these can regrow, and dispose of at a refuse transfer station.
2. Basal bark application (late winter or early spring-summer): spray or paint 30cm wide band around trunk using triclopyr 600EC (50ml/L).
3. Swab stump (spring-summer): cut down and paint freshly cut stump with triclopyr 600EC (50ml/L).
4. Spray (spring-summer): glyphosate (100ml/10L + penetrant) or metsulferon-methyl 600g/kg (5g/10L) or triclopyr 600EC (60ml/10L + penetrant). |
What can I do to
stop it coming back? : |
Followup monitoring required and treatment when needed. Establishing a thick cover of native trees to shade out and prevent establishment of seedlings. |
