Handbook of Trees of the Noetheen States and Canada. 303 



The Ailanthus is a handsome naturalized treL 

 sometimes attaining, in its native land, the 

 height of 80 or 100 ft. ^lith rather loose open top 

 and trunk '2 to 3 or more feet in thickness. Its 

 large plume-like leaves are familiar objects in the 

 door-yards and parks of many of our eastern 

 tuuns. giving a tropical appearance scarcely 

 equaled by any other tree of like hardiness. 

 Kor is its ornamental value in late summer 

 often surpassed by any other tree, when iti 

 frond-like foliage is interspersed with large 

 bunches of brilliantly colored fruit. It is par- 

 ticularly well adapted to planting for shade 

 and oniamcntal purposes, l)eing a hardy tr*"' 

 of very rapid growth and little alVected by the 

 dust and smoke of cities. For this purpose, 

 however, only the pistillate trees should be 

 used as they are of greater ornamental value 

 and tlicir flowers are free from the objection- 

 able ordor found with the staminate flowers. 

 Those to mo.st people are ill-scented and their 

 jKillen is said to aggravate catarrlial tnnililcs. 



The native habitat of the Ailanthus is China 

 and .Japan, where an excellent ipmlity of silk- 

 is made from a worm wdiich li^'cs iijton its 

 folinge. It is widely naturalized in eastern 

 United States. 



The wood is of medium hardness and of 

 coarse open grain. i 



Lraris 12-.".fl in. long, with l.''>-41 stalked leaf- 

 Ir'ts which are from ovate to lanceolate oblonj;, 

 2-4 in. long, rounded or subcordate at base, acumi- 

 nate, entire but with 3-4 glandular teeth at base. 

 Floicers f.Jnne) yellowish-green, in panicles oftea 

 1 ft. or more in length ; stamens villous at base. 

 Fniit -samaras about "1% in. long, spirally twisted. - 



1. A. 



U. Fo 



W., I, 4. 



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