Tree of Heaven-Ailanthus

[Dylan Schwilk]

"L. De Waal" <cs1806 at wlv.ac.uk> wrote:

>I remember Ailanthus from the novel "A tree grows in Brooklyn" which I 
>read when I had a work fellowship at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, 40 years 
>ago.  At that time it was an unusual ornamental tree in Britain.  It now 
>appears as seedlings on waste ground in London much as it does (or did?) 
>in Brooklyn.  Perhaps this is a sign of climatic change.  
>  Geoff Hilton (at L. De Waal address).  9.11.95.

I don't know, but Ailanthus is a very invasive problem out here in the
western US  (it arrived with the Chinese railway laborers in the last
century).  It may have just taken some time to escape, depending on
when it became a popular ornamental in London.  We find it up to about
1250m elevation here -- areas with light winter snow cover.

Dylan Schwilk, Fair Oaks, CA.