Additional Information
Unusual form and texture not unlike a large sumac. Highly adaptable. Tolerates salt spray. Dioecious. Coarse and inclined to drop twigs. Male flowers are malodorous; female plants make many weed seedlings. Ailanthus altissima forms dense, clonal thickets which displace native species and can rapidly invade fields, meadows, and harvested forests. This invasive tree species is extremely tolerant of poor soil conditions and can even grow in cement cracks. Ailanthus altissima is not shade tolerant, but easily invades disturbed forests or forest edges causing habitat damage. Introduced as an ornamental, it was widely planted in cities because of its ability to grow in poor conditions. Management and control efforts for this species continue across the United States at great economic cost.
