Taxon: Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle

A declared aquatic or terrestrial noxious weed and/or noxious-weed seed in these U.S. states (see state noxious weed lists), with links to state information or web documents:

CA*, CT*, MA*, NH*, VT*.

ªAquatic.

*Terrestrial.

°In seed.

Link to noxious weed information from

Link to species profile at

See also subordinate taxa:

• Ailanthus altissima var. sutchuenensis (no accessions)

Common names:

• China-sumac   (Source: Firewood Cr ) – English
  
• Chinese tree-of-heaven   (Source: Herbs Commerce ed2 ) – English
  
• stinktree   (Source: CRC MedHerbs ed2 ) – English
  
• tree-of-heaven   (Source: Pl Invasion ) – English
  
• varnishtree   (Source: Noxweed Aust ) – English
  
• hemelboom   (Source: Weeds SAfr 2001 ) – Afrikaans
  
• chou chun   (Source: F ChinaEng ) – Transcribed Chinese
  
• vernis de la Chine   (Source: Mansf Ency ) – French
  
• verno   (Source: Mansf Ency ) – French
  
• drüsiger Götterbaum   (Source: Mansf Ency ) – German
  
• ailanto   (Source: Mansf Ency ) – Italian
  
• albero del paradiso   (Source: Mansf Ency ) – Italian
  
• ajlant vysočajšij   (Source: F Armenia ) – Transliterated Russian
  
• gudaträd   (Source: Vara kulturvaxt namn ) – Swedish
  

Economic importance:

• Environmental: ornamental   (fide Econ Pl Aust)
  
• Environmental: shade/shelter   (fide Mansf Ency)
  
• Fuels: potential as fuelwood   (fide Firewood Cr)
  
• Invertebrate food: silkworms   (for larvae of moth Attacus cynthia fide Noxweed Aust)
  
• Materials: wood   (timber fide Ency WTimber; Noxweed Aust)
  
• Medicines: folklore   (fide CRC MedHerbs ed2; Herbs Commerce ed2)
  
• Weed: potential seed contaminant   (fide Econ Pl Aust; Invasive Pl Spec; Weeds SAfr 2001)
  

More:

View phytochemical or ethnobotanical data from Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

Distributional range:

• ASIA-TEMPERATE
  China: China - Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Liaoning, Nei Monggol, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan
  Eastern Asia: Taiwan

• AFRICA
  Macaronesia: Portugal - Azores
  Africa
• AUSTRALASIA
  Australia: Australia
  New Zealand: New Zealand
• EUROPE
  Europe
• NORTHERN AMERICA
  Canada
  Mexico
  United States
• PACIFIC
  North-Central Pacific: United States - Hawaii
• SOUTHERN AMERICA
  South America [s.]

• widely cultivated

References:

• Aldén, B., S. Ryman & M. Hjertson. 2009. Våra kulturväxters namn - ursprung och användning. Formas, Stockholm (Handbook on Swedish cultivated and utility plants, their names and origin).
• Boutelje, J. B. 1980. Encyclopedia of world timbers, names and technical literature.
• Chen Fenghwai & Wu Telin. 1991–. Flora of Guangdong.
• Conant, P. et al. 1997. Appendix. Selected plant species interfering with resource management goals in North American natural areas. In: Luken, J. O. & J. W. Thieret, eds., Assessment and management of plant invasions. 255–267.
• Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs.
• Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage.
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
• George, A. S., ed. 1980–. Flora of Australia.
• Gleason, H. A. & A. Cronquist. 1963. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada.
• Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6.
• Henderson, L. 2001. Alien weeds and invasive plants: a complete guide to declared weeds and invaders in South Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Handbook 12.
• Jiangsu Institute of Botany. 1982. Flora of Jiangsu.
• Lazarides, M. & B. Hince. 1993. CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia.
• Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third.
• McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2.
• Meyer, F. G. et al. 1994. A catalog of cultivated woody plants of the southeastern United States.
• Munro, D. B. Canadian poisonous plants information system (on-line resource).
• National Academy of Sciences. 1980. Firewood crops. Shrub and tree species for energy production.
• Natural Products Research Institute, Seoul National University. 1998. Medicinal plants in the Republic of Korea. WHO Regional Publications Western Pacific Series No. 21.
• Parsons, W. T. & E. G. Cuthbertson. 1992. Noxious weeds of Australia.
• Shun-Ching Lee. 1935. Forest botany of China. 694.
• St. John, H. 1973. List and summary of the flowering plants in the Hawaiian islands.
• Steenis, C. G. G. J. van, ed. 1948–. Flora malesiana.
• Takhtajan, A. L., ed. 1954–1987. Flora Armenii.
• USDA National Agricultural Library. National Invasive Species Information Center (on-line resource).
• Valkenburg, J. L. C. H. van & N. Bunyapraphatsara, eds. 2001. Medicinal and poisonous plants 2. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). 12(2):45–48.
• Weber, E. 2003. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds.
• Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994–. Flora of China (English edition).

More:

Search AGRICOLA article citation database for citations referencing Ailanthus altissima.

Search NCBI's Entrez search engine for PubMed citations referencing Ailanthus altissima.

Search Biodiversity Heritage Library for historical publications referencing Ailanthus altissima.

Synonyms:

• (=) Ailanthus cacodendron (Ehrh.) Schinz & Thell.
  (previously associated with 1 accession)
• (=) Ailanthus glandulosa Desf.
  (previously associated with 1 accession)
• Ailanthus sutchuenensis Dode [≡ Ailanthus altissima var. sutchuenensis]
  
• (=) Rhus cacodendron Ehrh.
  
• (≡) Toxicodendron altissimum Mill. (basionym)
  

Check other web resources for Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle:

• PLANTS: USDA-NRCS Database of Plants of the United States and its Territories
• BONAP: North American Plant Atlas of the Biota of North America Program
• Flora of China: Online version from Harvard University
• AVH: Australia's Virtual Herbarium
• ABRS: Australian Biological Resources Study Flora of Australia online
• TROPICOS: Nomenclatural and Specimen Database of the Missouri Botanical Garden
• Mansfeld: Mansfeld's World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops
• ePIC: Electronic Plant Information Centre of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
• AGRICOLA: Article Citation Database or NAL Catalog of USDA's National Agricultural Library
• Entrez: NCBI's search engine for PubMed citations, GenBank sequences, etc.

Images:

• Forestry Images: Images of invasive weeds from www.forestryimages.org
• Fruit: U.S. National Seed Herbarium image
• Seed: U.S. National Seed Herbarium image
• Seed: U.S. National Seed Herbarium image

More:

• Check PlantSystematics.org for additional images
• Images Note: Be advised that their identity may be inaccurate. Proper identification of a plant may require specialized taxonomic knowledge or comparison with properly documented herbarium material.

Abbreviations & symbols in GRIN Taxonomy

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