Ailanthus altissima

Tree of heaven, Tree Of Heaven

Family: Simaroubaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Tree of heaven is a naturalized shrub found in the Klamath Ranges, northern and central California Coast Ranges, California Rockies, Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, Central Western California, southwestern California, White and Inyo Mountains, and Desert Mountains in disturbed areas, grasslands, oak woodlands, and riparian areas at elevations below 1,860 meters. Flowering in June, this plant produces small greenish-yellow flowers in branched clusters up to 20 centimeters long. Growing to 20 meters tall with young parts slightly glandular and hairy, it develops a spreading, fast-growing form. Its large compound leaves extend 3 to 9 decimeters long, featuring 13 to 25 lance-shaped leaflets with truncate bases and distinctive large glands at the base of each serrated tooth. The fruit develops as a linear or oblong structure less than 5 centimeters long.

Habitat: Disturbed areas, grassland, oak woodland, riparian areas

Bloom period: Jun

Elevation: < 1860 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoRO, NCoRI, CaRF, SN, GV, CW, SW (exc ChI), W&ampI, DMtns

California counties: Amador, Kern, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Tulare, Riverside, Orange, Inyo, San Luis Obispo, Shasta, Santa Clara, Fresno, San Joaquin, Alameda, Lake, San Diego, El Dorado, Placer, Calaveras, Sacramento, Trinity, Sonoma, Monterey, Ventura, Sutter, Butte, Mendocino, Nevada, Marin, Tuolumne, Contra Costa, Solano, Napa, Mariposa, Siskiyou, San Mateo, Humboldt, San Francisco, Yolo, Stanislaus, Santa Cruz

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.