Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) by Gerald England as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
Image: © Gerald England Taken: 10 Jul 2021
Native to China and Taiwan, its heavenly sounding name stems from its tendency to quickly grow skyward. It can reach 15 metres in height in just 25 years. In recent years its reputation has become more sinister and it has been dubbed "the tree of hell" due to its invasive, anti-social tendencies. It sends out suckers that can smother other plants, it emits a poison to stop other species growing nearby and has a smell described as "rancid cashew nuts". So, all things considered, this attractive tree may not be so heavenly after all. This tree in Whitworth Park by the Denmark Road gates is on the University of Manchester Tree Trail https://uom.treetrail.co.uk/#TreeOfHeaven
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
53.460165
Longitude
-2.230997