AILANTHUS FAMILY 
Stamens.—In pistillate flowers two or three, inserted on an hypog- 
ynous disk; in staminate flowers ten. Filaments thread-like, hairy ; 
anthers oblong, introrse, two-celled, opening longitudinally. 
Pistil,—Ovary superior ; style erect; stigma five-lobed. 
Fruct.—One-celled, one-seeded samaras, borne in full clusters, 
reddish, or yellow green, slightly twisted. Abundant, beautiful. 
October. 
When people learn for the first time that the Ailanthus 
which came to us from China is there known as the Tree of 
Heaven, they are inclined to lcok upon it as another instance 
of the general reversal of western standards in the Flowery 
Kingdom; unless, indeed, what is meant is, that it “smells to 
Heaven.” For the odor of the staminate blossoms in June 
is so far-reaching, overpowering, and sickening that the tree 
is very generally execrated, and all its merits fail to atone 
for its one demerit. 
The tree has a history. Its seeds were sent to England 
from China in 1751 by Jesuit missionaries who believed it 
could be acclimated and the leaves used as the food of a 
certain kind of silkworm. The experiment failed, but the 
trees proved to be so stately, graceful, and ornamental that 
they were soon valued for their own sake. They were 
planted extensively in parks and pleasure grounds; were 
soon introduced into the United States and planted first 
near Philadelphia, afterward in Rhode Island, and also 
abundantly at Flushing, New York. At first the new impor- 
tations were very popular, but this popularity soon waned 
because of the disagreeable odor of the blossoms, and the 
trees were very generally cut down. Since that time, how- 
ever, the tree has been slowly coming back into favor. The 
dealers are now able to supply their customers with pistillate 
plants, since the tree is dicecious, and as the unpleasant odor 
pertains almost wholly to the staminate flowers, that objec- 
tion may be entirely eliminated. ‘The pistillate tree in au- 
tumn loaded with its great clusters of reddish yellow sama- 
ras is both conspicuous and beautiful. 
The Ailanthus really has great merits. Among these is 
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