Ailanthus

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Ailanthus

Ailanthus (derived from ailanto, an Ambonese

Ambonese

The Ambonese, also known as South Moluccans, are an Indonesia ethnic group of mixed Malay-Papuan origin. They are mostly Christians or Muslims. Ambonese are from Ambon Island in the Maluku, an island group east of Sulawesi and north of Timor in Indonesia....
word probably meaning "tree of the gods" or "tree of heaven") is a genus of tree

TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s belonging to the family Simaroubaceae

Simaroubaceae

The Simaroubaceae is a small, mostly tropical, family in the order Sapindales. In recent decades it has been subject to much taxonomic debate, with several small families being split off....
, in the order Sapindales

Sapindales

Sapindales is a botanical name for an order of flowering plants. Well-known members of Sapindales include citrus; maples, Horse-chestnut s, lychees and rambutans; mangos and cashews; frankincense and myrrh; and mahogany....
(formerly Rutales or Geraniales

Geraniales

The Geraniales are a small order of flowering plants, included within the rosid subgroup of dicotyledons. The largest family in the order is the Geraniaceae with over 800 species....
). The genus is native from east Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
south to northern Australasia

Australasia

Australasia is a region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes ....
.

They are fast-growing deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means falling off at maturity or tending to fall off and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe....
trees growing to 25-45 m tall, with spreading branches and large (40-100 cm) pinnate leaves with 15-41 long pointed leaflets, the terminal leaflet normally present, and the basal pairs of leaflets often lobed at their bases.

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Encyclopedia

Ailanthus (derived from ailanto, an Ambonese

Ambonese

TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s belonging to the family Simaroubaceae

Simaroubaceae

Sapindales

Geraniales

Asia

Australasia

Deciduous

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s are borne on branched panicles they turn reddish later in the year and eventually brown they stay on the tree for a long time; the male flowers have a strong odour. The odour tends to resemble the smell of strong cat urine or the spray of a male cat. Also, touching the leaves leaves an unpleasant smell on the hands. The fruit

Fruit

The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in food preparation and biology. In botany, which is the scientific study of plants, fruits are the ripened Ovary of flowering plants....
is a samara

Samara (fruit)

A samara is a type of fruit in which a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue develops from the ovary wall. A samara is a simple dry fruit and indehiscent ....
drawn out into a long wing with the seed in the middle. The wood is fine grained and satiny.

Species

The number of species is disputed, with some authorities accepting up to ten species, while others accept six or fewer. Species include:

Ailanthus altissima (Tree of Heaven) – northern and central mainland China
Mainland China

Mainland China, Continental China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China , excluding Hong Kong and Macau, which run on One Country, Two Systems....
, Taiwan
Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
, arguably the best known species.
Ailanthus excelsa – India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India....
Ailanthus integrifolia
Ailanthus integrifolia

Ailanthus integrifolia is a species of plant in the Simaroubaceae family. It is found in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vietnam....
– New Guinea
New Guinea

New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the List of islands by area, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period....
and Queensland
Queensland

Queensland is a States and territories of Australia of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south....
, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
Ailanthus malabarica – southeast Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
Ailanthus triphysa (White Siris) – northern and eastern Australia
Ailanthus vilmoriniana
Ailanthus vilmoriniana

Ailanthus vilmoriniana, commonly known as Downy Tree of Heaven, is a tree in the Simaroubaceae. It is native to western China, but is occasionally encountered in northern European gardens....
(Downy Tree of Heaven) – southwest China

A silk spinning moth, the Ailanthus silkmoth (Samia cynthia), lives on Ailanthus leaves, and yields a silk more durable and cheaper than mulberry silk, but inferior to it in fineness and gloss. This moth has been introduced to the eastern United States and is common near many towns; it is about 12 cm across, with angulated wings, and in colour olive brown, with white markings. Other Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is an order of insect that includes moths and butterfly. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterfly, skipper , and Hedylidae....
whose larva

Larva

A larva is a young form of animal with indirect developmental biology, going through or undergoing metamorphosis .The larva can look completely different from the adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a butterfly....
e feed on Ailanthus include Endoclita malabaricus
Endoclita

Endoclita is a genus of moths of the family Hepialidae. There are 60 described species found in eastern and southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent....
.

This is considered an invasive species

Invasive species

Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically....
in North America. Ailanthus is capable of forming thick blankets of roots and heavy shade to the extent that native species are prevented from being able to reclaim an area that has been logged or deforested, as well as areas that have been heavily developed.

In spite of being an invasive species

Invasive species

Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically....
on many places, this tree often grows where no others will. Thus it does not replace native species or more desirable trees and may only compete with weeds which have little value.