The Quassia Family
What are they?
The Simaroubaceae is essentially a tropical family of woody trees and shrubs with just one member introduced into Europe (and other parts of the world) as an ornamental. Elsewhere, the family has important economic uses as well as use as ornamentals.
Where are they found?
The one species likely to be found in our region, Tree-of-heaven, is grown occasionally as an ornamental in parks and sometimes planted as a street tree. They have a reputation for rapid growth to a large size and, during warm periods, have the capacity to seed readily and produce young plants that may appear in cracks in walls and pavements, from where they can do damage to buildings and other infrastructure. Large plants also sucker freely and suckers may be found where spreading from neighbouring properties.
Identification
With only one species, identification is relatively straightforward. Large, Ash-like leaves are distinguished by blunt teeth near the base of some of the leaflets and the whole plant has a distinctly musky smell to it.
Tree-of-heaven Ailanthus altissima
Introduced from Eastern Asia as a garden ornamental and occasionally planted as an amenity shrub or in cemeteries and churchyards. Flowers June to July. A deciduous, suckering tree to 30m in height. Late coming into leaf in the spring, the young growths purple in colour. Leaves large (to 60cm in length, occasionally 90cm on suckers) with up to 12 pairs of leaflets, the leaflets typically with one or two pairs of blunt teeth near the base of each leaflet. The musky, 'skunky' smell of the leaves is distinctive.
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