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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreenandorange
| name = ''Ailanthus''
| image = Ailanthus altissima1.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = ''Ailanthus altissima'' leaf and seeds
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Sapindales]]
| familia = [[Simaroubaceae]]
| genus = '''''Ailanthus'''''
| genus_authority = [[René Louiche Desfontaines|Desf.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = See text
}}
'''''Ailanthus''''' (derived from ailanto, an [[Ambonese]] word probably meaning "tree of the gods" or "tree of heaven") is a genus of [[tree]]s belonging to the family [[Simaroubaceae]], in the order [[Sapindales]] (formerly [[Rutales]] or [[Geraniales]]). The genus is native from east [[Asia]] south to northern [[Australasia]]. Also known as "ghetto palms" or "poverty trees", they are ubiquitous in the backyards and vacant lots of New York or anyplace there happens to be a piece of urban dirt.
They are fast-growing [[deciduous]] 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. The small yellow to greenish [[flower]]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]] is a [[samara (fruit)|samara]] drawn out into a long wing with the seed in the middle. The wood is fine grained and satiny.
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]], [[Taiwan]], arguably the best known species.
*''[[Ailanthus excelsa]]'' – [[India]] and [[Sri Lanka]]
*''[[Ailanthus integrifolia]]'' – [[New Guinea]] and [[Queensland]], [[Australia]]
*''[[Ailanthus malabarica]]'' – southeast [[Asia]]
*''[[Ailanthus triphysa]]'' ('''White Siris''') – northern and eastern Australia
*''[[Ailanthus vilmoriniana]]'' ('''Downy Tree of Heaven''') – southwest China
[[Image:Ailanthus altissima4.jpg|thumb|left|''Ailanthus altissima'' flowers]]
A silk spinning moth, the [[Ailanthus moth]] (''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]] whose [[larva]]e feed on ''Ailanthus'' include ''[[Endoclita|Endoclita malabaricus]]''.
==References and external links==
*{{APNI | name=Ailanthus Desf. | id = 25309}}
*[http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?326 Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Ailanthus'']
*[http://www.inmygarden.org/archives/2005/01/ailanthus_and_s_1.html Ailanthus and Staghorn Sumac], from The Monday Garden.
[[Category:Sapindales]]
| color = lightgreenandorange
| name = ''Ailanthus''
| image = Ailanthus altissima1.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = ''Ailanthus altissima'' leaf and seeds
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Sapindales]]
| familia = [[Simaroubaceae]]
| genus = '''''Ailanthus'''''
| genus_authority = [[René Louiche Desfontaines|Desf.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = See text
}}
'''''Ailanthus''''' (derived from ailanto, an [[Ambonese]] word probably meaning "tree of the gods" or "tree of heaven") is a genus of [[tree]]s belonging to the family [[Simaroubaceae]], in the order [[Sapindales]] (formerly [[Rutales]] or [[Geraniales]]). The genus is native from east [[Asia]] south to northern [[Australasia]]. Also known as "ghetto palms" or "poverty trees", they are ubiquitous in the backyards and vacant lots of New York or anyplace there happens to be a piece of urban dirt.
They are fast-growing [[deciduous]] 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. The small yellow to greenish [[flower]]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]] is a [[samara (fruit)|samara]] drawn out into a long wing with the seed in the middle. The wood is fine grained and satiny.
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]], [[Taiwan]], arguably the best known species.
*''[[Ailanthus excelsa]]'' – [[India]] and [[Sri Lanka]]
*''[[Ailanthus integrifolia]]'' – [[New Guinea]] and [[Queensland]], [[Australia]]
*''[[Ailanthus malabarica]]'' – southeast [[Asia]]
*''[[Ailanthus triphysa]]'' ('''White Siris''') – northern and eastern Australia
*''[[Ailanthus vilmoriniana]]'' ('''Downy Tree of Heaven''') – southwest China
[[Image:Ailanthus altissima4.jpg|thumb|left|''Ailanthus altissima'' flowers]]
A silk spinning moth, the [[Ailanthus moth]] (''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]] whose [[larva]]e feed on ''Ailanthus'' include ''[[Endoclita|Endoclita malabaricus]]''.
==References and external links==
*{{APNI | name=Ailanthus Desf. | id = 25309}}
*[http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?326 Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Ailanthus'']
*[http://www.inmygarden.org/archives/2005/01/ailanthus_and_s_1.html Ailanthus and Staghorn Sumac], from The Monday Garden.
[[Category:Sapindales]]