Ailanthus altissima

Botanical Description

Ailanthus altissima is a deciduous tree with a densely-branched, rounded crown; it usually grows 15 - 20 metres tall, but can reach 30 metres. The bole can be 60 - 90cm in diameter[ 11 Title Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Publication Author Bean. W. Publisher Murray Year 1981 ISBN - Description A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures. ]. The tree sends up suckers freely and can soon form dense thickets[ 7 Title Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. Publication Author Chiej. R. Publisher MacDonald Year 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5 Description Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs. , 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. , 229 Title The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Publication Author Elias. T. Publisher Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. Year 1980 ISBN 0442238622 Description A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions. ]. The tree has a wide range of medicinal uses and is often used in China and other Asian countries, though little used in the West. Because of its tolerance of poor growing conditions and its extensive root system, it is often used in soil stabilization and reclamation projects. It is occasionally cultivated for its wood[ 149 Title Trees of Central Texas. Publication Author Vines. R. A. Publisher University of Texas Press Year 1987 ISBN 0-292-78958-3 Description A good concise guide, it gives details of habitats and some of the uses of trees growing in Texas. ]. A very ornamental tree, with its large leaves it has a somewhat tropical appearance and is fast growing when young[ 1 Title RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Publication Author F. Chittendon. Publisher Oxford University Press Year 1951 ISBN - Description Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]). , 7 Title Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. Publication Author Chiej. R. Publisher MacDonald Year 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5 Description Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs. , 14 Title Complete Guide to Herbs. Publication Author Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Publisher Rodale Press Year 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7 Description A good herbal. ], though it is rather short-lived[ 229 Title The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Publication Author Elias. T. Publisher Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. Year 1980 ISBN 0442238622 Description A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions. ]. The tree thrives even when growing in very polluted cities[ 11 Title Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Publication Author Bean. W. Publisher Murray Year 1981 ISBN - Description A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures. , 229 Title The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Publication Author Elias. T. Publisher Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. Year 1980 ISBN 0442238622 Description A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions. ] and so has been used as a street tree and as a shade-tree in parks[ 268 Title The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Publication Author Stuart. M. (Editor) Publisher Orbis Publishing. London. Year 1979 ISBN 0-85613-067-2 Description Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs. ] Widely cultivated as an ornamental, the plant has escaped and become naturalized in many countries outside its native range. It is able to grow in almost any situation, succeeding in heavily polluted cities and able to grow through cracks in pavements, for example. It can spread rapidly on undisturbed grazing land, roadsides and waste places, on both clay and sandy soils. In many areas it is considered to be a noxious weed since it forms dense thickets that can out-compete native species and damage natural environments[ 238 Title Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Publication Author Bown. D. Publisher Dorling Kindersley, London. Year 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31 Description A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant. , 269 Title Handbook of Energy Crops Publication Author Duke. J. Website https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/dukeindex.html Publisher - Year 1983 ISBN - Description Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants. , 305 Title Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk Publication Author Website http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands. , 1009 Title New South Wales Government; Pest and Weeds Management Publication Author Website http://weeds.dpi.nsw.gov.au/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A website with very well-produced factsheets on over 300 noxious and environmental weeds of New South Wales ].