Ailanthus altissima
| Ailanthus altissima | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |    |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 82' |
| Width: | 49' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Ailanthus altissima (common name: tree of heaven)
Propagation: Seed - best sown outdoors as soon as it is ripe[1]. If you only have a small quantity of seed it will probably be better to sow it in a cold frame. The germination can be poor[2], averaging about 56%[3], though one kilo of seed will normally produce in the region of 6,500 usable plants[4]. The seed germinates best if given a short cold stratification of 8 weeks[2][5]. The seed is not usually produced in Britain[2]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, keep them in a cold frame for their first winter and plant them out in late spring[K].
Root cuttings in December[5].
Suckers, planted out in late winter.
Cultivation: A very tough and easily grown tree, succeeding under most conditions, the Tree of Heaven is resistant to most diseases and is also reported to be tolerant of alkalinity, drought, frost, heat, high pH, hydrogen fluoride, low pH, pollution, SO2, poor, dry or wet soils, heavily polluted soils and industrial pollution[6][4]. The plant prefers a light moist soil and a sheltered position[7][8]. Prefers a position in full sun or partial shade[9].
The tree is estimated to tolerate an annual precipitation of 30 to 250cm (tolerating a dry season up to 8 months), an annual average temperature of 10° to 20°C, and a pH of 5.5 to 8.0. Growing on the smallest of city plots and rubbish heaps, this species obviously can tolerate a wide array of soils, from acid to alkaline, sand to light clay, well-drained to swampy, poor to rich. It is said to do poorly on chalky soils or compact clay[4].
Plants are hardy to at least -15°c[6].
A very ornamental tree, it has a somewhat tropical appearance and is fast growing when young[7][10][11], though it is rather short-lived[12]. The trees send up suckers freely and soon form dense thickets[10][6][12]. The plant has become a noxious weed in parts of Australia and is rather weed-like in many other countries[9][4]. The roots are rather aggressive and can cause damage to drainage systems[13]. The plants thrive even when growing in very polluted cities[14][12] and so have been used as street trees and as shade-trees in parks[15], they do not do well in the north of Britain, however[3].
Male flowers are malodorous and have potentially allergenic pollen[2][6]. The crushed leaves are also malodorous[13]. The large leaves have glandular teeth near their base and these release a pungent aroma when pressed[16]. The disagreeable odour of the plant may cause some people to feel sleepy[4].
This tree is occasionally cultivated for its wood[17]. This is brittle however, and branches are very liable to break off in the wind[6]. Trees coppice readily[6].
The leaves were once used as a food for silkworms[18], but were found to be unsuitable[10].
This species is notably resistant to honey fungus.[19][6]
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required[4].
Range: E. Asia - China. Naturalized in Britain[20].
Habitat: Uplands[21].
Edibility: Leaves - cooked[22]. Used as an emergency food in times of scarcity, they have an offensive odour[18][23][24]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Medicinal: The tree of heaven is not often used in Western herbal medicine, though it is more popular in the Orient. Various parts of the plant are used, though the bark is the part most commonly used - however, it contains a glycoside that has not been fully researched and so should be used with caution[10].
The root and stem bark are antispasmodic, astringent, bitter, cardiac depressant, diuretic, emetic, febrifuge, rubefacient and vermifuge[25][26][21][27][24][28][9]. The vermifuge properties do not act on round worms or earthworms[4]. A nauseatingly bitter herb, it is used internally to treat malaria and fevers, it also slows the heart rate and relaxes spasms[9]. It needs to be used under the supervision of a qualified practitioner since the bark readily causes vomiting[9]. In China, the bark is a popular remedy for dysentery and other complaints of the bowels[25]. In one clinical trial, 81 out of 82 patients were cured of dysentery when they were given this herb[29]. A tincture of the root-bark has been used successfully in the treatment of cardiac palpitations, asthma and epilepsy[25]. Tree-of-heaven is a folk remedy for asthma, cancer, diarrhoea, dysentery, dysmenorrhoea, dysuria, ejaculation (premature), epilepsy, eruption, fever, gonorrhoea, haematochezia, leucorrhoea, malaria, metrorrhagia, sores, spasms, spermatorrhoea, stomachic, tumours of the breast (China), and wet dreams[4] The bark is harvested in the spring and dried for later use[10].
The leaves, bark of the trunk, and roots are put into a wash to treat parasitic ulcers, itch, and eruptions[4].
In Korea, the root bark is used in the treatment of coughs, gastric and intestinal upsets[4].
The stembark is emmenagogue[28].
The leaves are anthelmintic, astringent and deobstruent[28].
The fruit is used in the treatment of bloody stools and dysentery[28][4]. They have also been used to treat ophthalmic diseases[4].
Extracts from the plant are bactericidal[28].
The tree is used in homeopathic remedies for cancer[4].
A resin extracted from the roots and leaves is a revulsive or vesicant[4].
Usage: A yellow dye is obtained from the leaves[10].
The leaves contain 12% tannin, quercetin, as well as isoquercetin, and the alkaloid linuthine[28][4].
The leaves and wood are high in cellulose and are used in paper-making[10][30].
The crushed leaves and flowers are insect-repellent[11]. The plant parts, when steeped in water, are said to yield an insecticidal solution[28][4]. An aqueous extract of the leaves contains a substance that is toxic to other tree seedlings[31].
When plants are put into marshy areas they drain the soil and thereby remove mosquito breeding sites[29].
The plants have extensive root systems and sucker freely, they can be used in soil-stabilization programmes[17]. Since the plant is tolerant of soil pollution it can also be used in land reclamation schemes on old mine tips etc[6].
Plants can be grown as a tall hedge[11].
Wood - fairly hard, heavy, difficult to split, not durable, coarse grained. Though little used, except in poorer countries, the wood is suitable for cabinetry, cellulose manufacture, furniture, lumber, pulp, and woodwork. It is difficult to split but easy to work and polish. The wood is also used locally for charcoal and firewood[25][32][17][24][4]. Yields of 20 cubic metres per hectare is possible for this light wood[4].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Wind: Not wind tolerant
Pollution: Tolerates environmental pollution.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Late Fall
Flower Type: Dioecious
Known Hazards: The plant is possibly poisonous[10][33]. Male flowers have potentially allergenic pollen[6].
The leaves are toxic to domestic animals[4]. Gardeners who fell the tree may suffer rashes[4]. The odour of the foliage is intensely disagreeable and can ca
Also Known As: A. glandulosa. Toxicodendron altissimum.
Links
References
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 McMillan-Browse, Philip. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books, 1985.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gordon, A and D Rowe. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. 1982.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 Duke, James. Handbook of Energy Crops. 1983.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan, 1987.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Hylton, Josie and William Holtom. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press, 1979.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lauriault, Jean. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1989.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Stuart, Malcolm. The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism. Orbis Publishing, 1979.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Vines, Robert. Trees of Central Texas. University of Texas Press, 1987.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ RHS. The Garden Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society, 1987.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 28.5 28.6 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.