Index / Search / Ailanthus altissima
§1 Plant
Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle
vernacular tree of heaven — species · Simaroubaceae
§2Habit & range
Habit and range
- Growth habit
- Tree
- Duration
- Perennial
- Group
- Dicot
- Family
- Simaroubaceae DC.
- Genus
- Ailanthus
§2a
Native status, by region
- CAN Canada Introduced
- HI Hawaii Introduced
- L48 Lower 48 States Introduced
§2b
County-level range
· 833 counties across 41 states/territories§3Cultivation specs · USDA
Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.
§3a
Tolerances
- Drought
- Medium
- Shade
- High
- Moisture use
- Medium
- Fire
- Medium
- Salinity
- Medium
- Anaerobic
- Medium
- CaCO₃
- High
- Hedging
- Low
§3b
Climate & soil
- Cold tolerance
- -18 °F minimum
- Frost-free days
- 150 min.
- Precipitation
- 14–90 in/yr
- pH range
- 4.1–7.9
- Root depth
- 30 in min.
- Fertility need
- Low
- Soil texture
- coarse, medium, fine
§3c
Form & growth
- Growth form
- Single Stem
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Lifespan
- Short
- Mature height
- 55 ft
- Height @ 20 y
- 50 ft
- Foliage texture
- Coarse
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Porosity (summer)
- Moderate
- Porosity (winter)
- Moderate
- Flower colour
- Green
- Fruit colour
- Yellow
- Fire resistant
- No
- N fixation
- None
- Toxicity
- Moderate
§3d
Reproduction
- Bloom period
- Late Spring
- Seed abundance
- High
- Seed begins
- Summer
- Seed ends
- Fall
- Spread rate
- Rapid
- Stratify
- Yes
- Seeds / lb
- 14,640
- Propagation
- seed, cuttings, bare root, container
§3e
Use & availability
- Commercial availability
- Routinely Available
- Nursery stock
- Yes
- Browse palatability
- Medium
- Graze palatability
- Low
- Palatable, human
- No
- Protein potential
- Low
- Lumber
- Yes
- Fuelwood
- Low
- Christmas tree
- No
§4Counties, by state
Recorded in 833 counties across 41 states/territories.
Alabama view state ↗ 22 I ▾
- Autauga 01001
- Bullock 01011
- Butler 01013
- Calhoun 01015
- Cherokee 01019
- Chilton 01021
- Cleburne 01029
- Dallas 01047
- Elmore 01051
- Fayette 01057
- Franklin 01059
- Jackson 01071
- Lawrence 01079
- Lee 01081
- Limestone 01083
- Madison 01089
- Marengo 01091
- Marshall 01095
- Pike 01109
- Randolph 01111
- Talladega 01121
- Walker 01127
Arizona view state ↗ 9 I ▾
Arkansas view state ↗ 34 I ▾
- Ashley 05003
- Benton 05007
- Bradley 05011
- Carroll 05015
- Clark 05019
- Cleburne 05023
- Cleveland 05025
- Craighead 05031
- Crawford 05033
- Desha 05041
- Drew 05043
- Faulkner 05045
- Franklin 05047
- Garland 05051
- Hempstead 05057
- Hot Spring 05059
- Independence 05063
- Izard 05065
- Jefferson 05069
- Johnson 05071
- Lonoke 05085
- Miller 05091
- Mississippi 05093
- Newton 05101
- Ouachita 05103
- Phillips 05107
- Pope 05115
- Pulaski 05119
- Saline 05125
- Searcy 05129
- St. Francis 05123
- Stone 05137
- Union 05139
- Washington 05143
California view state ↗ 35 I ▾
- Alameda 06001
- Butte 06007
- Calaveras 06009
- El Dorado 06017
- Glenn 06021
- Inyo 06027
- Kern 06029
- Los Angeles 06037
- Madera 06039
- Marin 06041
- Mariposa 06043
- Mendocino 06045
- Merced 06047
- Monterey 06053
- Napa 06055
- Nevada 06057
- Orange 06059
- Placer 06061
- Plumas 06063
- Riverside 06065
- Sacramento 06067
- San Bernardino 06071
- San Diego 06073
- San Joaquin 06077
- San Luis Obispo 06079
- Santa Barbara 06083
- Santa Clara 06085
- Shasta 06089
- Solano 06095
- Sonoma 06097
- Sutter 06101
- Trinity 06105
- Tuolumne 06109
- Ventura 06111
- Yolo 06113
Colorado view state ↗ 4 I ▾
Delaware view state ↗ 2 I ▾
District of Columbia view state ↗ 1 I ▾
Florida view state ↗ 4 I ▾
Georgia view state ↗ 18 I ▾
Idaho view state ↗ 6 I ▾
Illinois view state ↗ 67 I ▾
- Adams 17001
- Alexander 17003
- Boone 17007
- Cass 17017
- Champaign 17019
- Christian 17021
- Clark 17023
- Coles 17029
- Cook 17031
- Crawford 17033
- DeKalb 17037
- Douglas 17041
- DuPage 17043
- Effingham 17049
- Ford 17053
- Franklin 17055
- Fulton 17057
- Greene 17061
- Grundy 17063
- Hancock 17067
- Hardin 17069
- Iroquois 17075
- Jackson 17077
- Jefferson 17081
- Jersey 17083
- Johnson 17087
- Kane 17089
- Kankakee 17091
- Kendall 17093
- Lake 17097
- Lawrence 17101
- Livingston 17105
- Logan 17107
- Macon 17115
- Macoupin 17117
- Madison 17119
- Marion 17121
- Massac 17127
- McDonough 17109
- McHenry 17111
- McLean 17113
- Monroe 17133
- Montgomery 17135
- Morgan 17137
- Moultrie 17139
- Peoria 17143
- Perry 17145
- Piatt 17147
- Pike 17149
- Pope 17151
- Pulaski 17153
- Putnam 17155
- Randolph 17157
- Richland 17159
- Rock Island 17161
- Saline 17165
- Sangamon 17167
- Scott 17171
- Shelby 17173
- St. Clair 17163
- Union 17181
- Vermilion 17183
- Wabash 17185
- Washington 17189
- Will 17197
- Williamson 17199
- Winnebago 17201
Indiana view state ↗ 23 I ▾
- Boone 18011
- Clark 18019
- Crawford 18025
- Daviess 18027
- Decatur 18031
- Floyd 18043
- Fountain 18045
- Harrison 18061
- Jefferson 18077
- Lawrence 18093
- Madison 18095
- Marion 18097
- Monroe 18105
- Montgomery 18107
- Newton 18111
- Perry 18123
- Putnam 18133
- St. Joseph 18141
- Switzerland 18155
- Vigo 18167
- Wabash 18169
- Wayne 18177
- Wells 18179
Iowa view state ↗ 2 I ▾
Kansas view state ↗ 26 I ▾
- Barber 20007
- Barton 20009
- Bourbon 20011
- Cloud 20029
- Coffey 20031
- Crawford 20037
- Douglas 20045
- Ellis 20051
- Harvey 20079
- Jackson 20085
- Johnson 20091
- Lyon 20111
- Marion 20115
- Miami 20121
- Morris 20127
- Phillips 20147
- Pratt 20151
- Riley 20161
- Saline 20169
- Scott 20171
- Shawnee 20177
- Stafford 20185
- Sumner 20191
- Wabaunsee 20197
- Washington 20201
- Wyandotte 20209
Kentucky view state ↗ 60 I ▾
- Adair 21001
- Anderson 21005
- Ballard 21007
- Bell 21013
- Boone 21015
- Bourbon 21017
- Bracken 21023
- Bullitt 21029
- Calloway 21035
- Campbell 21037
- Clark 21049
- Clay 21051
- Crittenden 21055
- Cumberland 21057
- Daviess 21059
- Edmonson 21061
- Fayette 21067
- Fleming 21069
- Floyd 21071
- Fulton 21075
- Green 21087
- Greenup 21089
- Hardin 21093
- Harlan 21095
- Harrison 21097
- Jackson 21109
- Jefferson 21111
- Jessamine 21113
- Johnson 21115
- Kenton 21117
- Laurel 21125
- Lee 21129
- Leslie 21131
- Lewis 21135
- Lincoln 21137
- Lyon 21143
- Madison 21151
- Martin 21159
- Mason 21161
- McCreary 21147
- McLean 21149
- Meade 21163
- Monroe 21171
- Montgomery 21173
- Morgan 21175
- Nicholas 21181
- Oldham 21185
- Pendleton 21191
- Perry 21193
- Pike 21195
- Robertson 21201
- Rockcastle 21203
- Rowan 21205
- Scott 21209
- Shelby 21211
- Trigg 21221
- Trimble 21223
- Warren 21227
- Wayne 21231
- Woodford 21239
Louisiana view state ↗ 16 I ▾
Maryland view state ↗ 8 I ▾
Massachusetts view state ↗ 13 I ▾
Michigan view state ↗ 17 I ▾
Mississippi view state ↗ 4 I ▾
Missouri view state ↗ 27 I ▾
- Adair 29001
- Benton 29015
- Boone 29019
- Cape Girardeau 29031
- Carroll 29033
- Carter 29035
- Crawford 29055
- Franklin 29071
- Greene 29077
- Howard 29089
- Jackson 29095
- Jasper 29097
- Madison 29123
- Mississippi 29133
- Monroe 29137
- Montgomery 29139
- Phelps 29161
- Pike 29163
- Platte 29165
- Pulaski 29169
- Randolph 29175
- Ripley 29181
- St. Charles 29183
- St. Clair 29185
- St. Louis 29189
- Ste. Genevieve 29186
- Taney 29213
Nebraska view state ↗ 7 I ▾
Nevada view state ↗ 3 I ▾
New Jersey view state ↗ 17 I ▾
New Mexico view state ↗ 9 I ▾
New York view state ↗ 23 I ▾
- Albany 36001
- Bronx 36005
- Cayuga 36011
- Erie 36029
- Greene 36039
- Kings 36047
- Livingston 36051
- Monroe 36055
- Nassau 36059
- New York 36061
- Niagara 36063
- Onondaga 36067
- Orange 36071
- Putnam 36079
- Queens 36081
- Richmond 36085
- Rockland 36087
- Schenectady 36093
- Suffolk 36103
- Tompkins 36109
- Ulster 36111
- Warren 36113
- Westchester 36119
North Carolina view state ↗ 32 I ▾
- Alamance 37001
- Alexander 37003
- Anson 37007
- Burke 37023
- Caswell 37033
- Catawba 37035
- Chatham 37037
- Cherokee 37039
- Durham 37063
- Edgecombe 37065
- Forsyth 37067
- Granville 37077
- Guilford 37081
- Harnett 37085
- Hertford 37091
- Lincoln 37109
- Madison 37115
- Mecklenburg 37119
- Mitchell 37121
- Montgomery 37123
- Orange 37135
- Person 37145
- Pitt 37147
- Polk 37149
- Randolph 37151
- Robeson 37155
- Rowan 37159
- Scotland 37165
- Stokes 37169
- Wilkes 37193
- Wilson 37195
- Yadkin 37197
Ohio view state ↗ 88 I ▾
- Adams 39001
- Allen 39003
- Ashland 39005
- Ashtabula 39007
- Athens 39009
- Auglaize 39011
- Belmont 39013
- Brown 39015
- Butler 39017
- Carroll 39019
- Champaign 39021
- Clark 39023
- Clermont 39025
- Clinton 39027
- Columbiana 39029
- Coshocton 39031
- Crawford 39033
- Cuyahoga 39035
- Darke 39037
- Defiance 39039
- Delaware 39041
- Erie 39043
- Fairfield 39045
- Fayette 39047
- Franklin 39049
- Fulton 39051
- Gallia 39053
- Geauga 39055
- Greene 39057
- Guernsey 39059
- Hamilton 39061
- Hancock 39063
- Hardin 39065
- Harrison 39067
- Henry 39069
- Highland 39071
- Hocking 39073
- Holmes 39075
- Huron 39077
- Jackson 39079
- Jefferson 39081
- Knox 39083
- Lake 39085
- Lawrence 39087
- Licking 39089
- Logan 39091
- Lorain 39093
- Lucas 39095
- Madison 39097
- Mahoning 39099
- Marion 39101
- Medina 39103
- Meigs 39105
- Mercer 39107
- Miami 39109
- Monroe 39111
- Montgomery 39113
- Morgan 39115
- Morrow 39117
- Muskingum 39119
- Noble 39121
- Ottawa 39123
- Paulding 39125
- Perry 39127
- Pickaway 39129
- Pike 39131
- Portage 39133
- Preble 39135
- Putnam 39137
- Richland 39139
- Ross 39141
- Sandusky 39143
- Scioto 39145
- Seneca 39147
- Shelby 39149
- Stark 39151
- Summit 39153
- Trumbull 39155
- Tuscarawas 39157
- Union 39159
- Van Wert 39161
- Vinton 39163
- Warren 39165
- Washington 39167
- Wayne 39169
- Williams 39171
- Wood 39173
- Wyandot 39175
Oklahoma view state ↗ 4 I ▾
Oregon view state ↗ 14 I ▾
Pennsylvania view state ↗ 37 I ▾
- Adams 42001
- Allegheny 42003
- Armstrong 42005
- Beaver 42007
- Bedford 42009
- Berks 42011
- Blair 42013
- Bucks 42017
- Carbon 42025
- Centre 42027
- Chester 42029
- Clinton 42035
- Cumberland 42041
- Dauphin 42043
- Delaware 42045
- Erie 42049
- Fayette 42051
- Franklin 42055
- Fulton 42057
- Huntingdon 42061
- Juniata 42067
- Lackawanna 42069
- Lancaster 42071
- Lebanon 42075
- Lehigh 42077
- Luzerne 42079
- Mifflin 42087
- Monroe 42089
- Montgomery 42091
- Montour 42093
- Northampton 42095
- Northumberland 42097
- Perry 42099
- Philadelphia 42101
- Warren 42123
- Westmoreland 42129
- York 42133
Rhode Island view state ↗ 4 I ▾
South Carolina view state ↗ 15 I ▾
Tennessee view state ↗ 26 I ▾
- Anderson 47001
- Benton 47005
- Campbell 47013
- Cannon 47015
- Carroll 47017
- Carter 47019
- Clay 47027
- Davidson 47037
- DeKalb 47041
- Grundy 47061
- Jackson 47087
- Jefferson 47089
- Knox 47093
- Macon 47111
- Madison 47113
- Maury 47119
- Montgomery 47125
- Morgan 47129
- Roane 47145
- Scott 47151
- Sevier 47155
- Stewart 47161
- Sumner 47165
- Unicoi 47171
- Washington 47179
- Williamson 47187
Texas view state ↗ 9 I ▾
Utah view state ↗ 9 I ▾
Vermont view state ↗ 1 I ▾
Virginia view state ↗ 94 I ▾
- Accomack 51001
- Albemarle 51003
- Alleghany 51005
- Amelia 51007
- Amherst 51009
- Appomattox 51011
- Arlington 51013
- Augusta 51015
- Bath 51017
- Bedford 51019
- Botetourt 51023
- Brunswick 51025
- Buchanan 51027
- Buckingham 51029
- Campbell 51031
- Caroline 51033
- Carroll 51035
- Charles City 51036
- Charlotte 51037
- Chesapeake (city) 51550
- Chesterfield 51041
- Clarke 51043
- Craig 51045
- Culpeper 51047
- Cumberland 51049
- Dickenson 51051
- Dinwiddie 51053
- Essex 51057
- Fairfax 51059
- Fauquier 51061
- Fluvanna 51065
- Franklin 51067
- Frederick 51069
- Giles 51071
- Gloucester 51073
- Goochland 51075
- Grayson 51077
- Greene 51079
- Greensville 51081
- Halifax 51083
- Hampton (city) 51650
- Hanover 51085
- Henrico 51087
- Henry 51089
- Isle of Wight 51093
- James City 51095
- King and Queen 51097
- King George 51099
- King William 51101
- Lancaster 51103
- Lee 51105
- Loudoun 51107
- Louisa 51109
- Lunenburg 51111
- Madison 51113
- Mecklenburg 51117
- Middlesex 51119
- Montgomery 51121
- Nelson 51125
- New Kent 51127
- Northampton 51131
- Northumberland 51133
- Nottoway 51135
- Orange 51137
- Page 51139
- Patrick 51141
- Pittsylvania 51143
- Powhatan 51145
- Prince Edward 51147
- Prince George 51149
- Prince William 51153
- Pulaski 51155
- Rappahannock 51157
- Richmond 51159
- Roanoke 51161
- Rockbridge 51163
- Rockingham 51165
- Russell 51167
- Scott 51169
- Shenandoah 51171
- Smyth 51173
- Southampton 51175
- Spotsylvania 51177
- Stafford 51179
- Suffolk (city) 51800
- Surry 51181
- Sussex 51183
- Virginia Beach (city) 51810
- Warren 51187
- Washington 51191
- Westmoreland 51193
- Wise 51195
- Wythe 51197
- York 51199
Washington view state ↗ 7 I ▾
West Virginia view state ↗ 30 I ▾
- Berkeley 54003
- Brooke 54009
- Clay 54015
- Fayette 54019
- Greenbrier 54025
- Hampshire 54027
- Hardy 54031
- Harrison 54033
- Jackson 54035
- Jefferson 54037
- Kanawha 54039
- Logan 54045
- Marion 54049
- Marshall 54051
- Mercer 54055
- Mineral 54057
- Monongalia 54061
- Monroe 54063
- Nicholas 54067
- Ohio 54069
- Pocahontas 54075
- Putnam 54079
- Raleigh 54081
- Roane 54087
- Summers 54089
- Upshur 54097
- Wayne 54099
- Wetzel 54103
- Wirt 54105
- Wood 54107
§5Sources & provenance
USDA PLANTS
Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.
plants.usda.gov/AIAL ↗GBIF Backbone
Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.
gbif.org/species/3190653 ↗Record version
Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:
usda-plants-mt-2026-05-26
fetched 2026-05-26T20:46:58Z