• Whiteknights
    TreesHome
  • Map
  • Routes
  • Species
    •

    Ailanthus altissima, Tree of heaven

    Ailanthus altissima is a species of deciduous broadleaf flowering plants (in the Simaroubaceae family), native to China. This is a fast-growing tree which has been introduced in many parts of the world, in some place considered invasive due to its aggressive spread and ability to outcompete native vegetation. It has large compound leaves, up to a metre in length. In summer it produces clusters of small yellow-green flowers, followed by winged seeds. The roots, leaves and bark are used in traditional Chinese medicine. All parts of the plant have a strong odour likened to peanuts or cashews. "Tree of heaven" is an English version of the Malay Ambonese ai lanit, from which the genus name Ailanthus was derived; the Malay name means "sky tree" and refers to a different species, Ailanthus integrifolia.

    External webpages
    about this species     Wikipedia Kew Gardens Plants of the World Online Trees and Shrubs Online

    How to use the map

    Drag with your finger or mouse to move the map.

    plus and minus symbols Zoom in or out. You can also do this with the mousewheel or by pinching.

    Marker of the position of an identified tree, while the map is zoomed out. For the details, zoom in until you see tree markers like the following …

    Green broadleaf tree iconGreen needleleaf tree icon Clicking on a tree marker brings up a window (called a "popup") identifying the species of the tree there, with a small photo of it and buttons to display more photos and information. NB only a few hundred of the thousands of trees are marked!

    7Marker of a tree of the selected species; clicking it will zoom and centre the map on this tree, and bring up a photo of it in the frame.

    Golden tree icon Marker of a British Isles champion tree in The Tree Register.

    ✕ Click the cross at the top right of any window, including this one, to get rid of it.

    Click to choose whether more than one popup can be open at once.

    Click to dismiss the open popup, or all open popups. You can also close the popups by clicking on the map anywhere apart from a popup or marker.

    Street map Satellite view Choose alternative versions of the map. The tree markers, popups, map centre and zoom are all unaffected by switching.

    Turn on a flashing dot which tracks your live location on the map, surrounded by a circle indicating the accuracy of the location. This will work only if your device has a satellite navigation (GPS etc.) receiver which is enabled and can acquire a signal. You will probably be asked to allow the website to access "location services" the first time you press this button. The button flashes orange while trying to locate you, and green while your location is shown. Press it again to turn it off.

    Recentre the map on your present location, while live location is active.

    Reset the map to its original centre and zoom.

    To click on a tree, zoom in until you see tree markers Green broadleaf tree iconGreen needleleaf tree icon