THE CHINESE SUMACH. I 37 



obtained by no uthcr tree or shrub of our temperate climate. Its 

 favorite habitat seems to be fence corners or small groves, in com- 

 pany with the locust and the hackberry tree (Cclfis occidciitalis) , 

 which bears the " sugar-berry." so eagerly eaten bv the children 

 of localities in which it grows plentifully. But the Ail an tints 

 grows almost anywhere, its seedlings coming up along the dustv 

 roadside as well as in the soil with potted plants. If a tree be 

 cut down the suckers appear over an area twenty feet in diameter. 



Allan fliiis ^i:;laihliilosa takes its generic naiue from the Alalacca 

 word ailaiifo, or tree of heaven ; the specific name, i;;lainiiilosa, 

 referring to the glands of the bark, which if injured exudes a very 

 sticky, resinous gum. 



The tree is a native of China and the oriental countries and 

 attains a height of from forty to ninety feet, bearing long petioled, 

 compound leaves, from one to three feet long, with about thirteen 

 odd pinnate, opposite leaflets ovate-lanceolate in shape and some- 

 what glabrous. The flowers, which are borne in terminal pani- 

 cles, are polygamous, small and star-shaped, greenish white in 

 color. The sterile ones have five short sepals, five petals and ten 

 stamens. In June, when these trees bloom, the staminate flowers 

 have an odor which to some people is agreeable, and to others 

 very unpleasant. This lasts but a short time, however, and in 

 other respects Ailanthiis s^laiuiiilosa is a verv desirable shade 

 tree. 



The pistillate trees produce beautiful panicles of one-seeded, 

 twisted samaras or keys, light green in color, or sometimes softlv 

 tinged with pinkish red. The broad tops of the trees, bearing 

 many large clusters of these light green, winged fruits, showing 

 brightly against the dark green of the surrounding foliage, make 

 a very pretty sight in mid-summer. These samaras are strung on 

 threads by the children of eastern Pennsylvania, making unique 

 wreaths, necklaces, or other juvenile adornments. The smooth 

 trunks and branches of the older trees are of a soft grav or whitish 

 shade, resembling the trunks of the beech. 



The tree belongs to the family Simarubaceae, and is the onlv 

 representative of its genus in this country, but there are two more 

 species in its native home, China. The tree grows rapidly and 



