Tree of Heaven

TreeOfHeaven_tree_5451562-PPT

Tree of Heaven is a non-native that has been planted as an ornamental but has escaped and is now moving into disturbed sites.  The Colorado Department of Agriculture is considering adding it to the weed list in 2022.

TreeOfHeaven_flower_thumbnail_5292035-PPTFlowers are small and  yellowish green.  Usually unisexual. Female flowers are ill-smelling.  
The flowers are arranged in 4 to 7 inch long inflorescence at the tips of short branches.

Photo: Jan Samanek, Phytosanitary Administration, Bugwood.org
TreeOfHeaven_Seed_Thumbnail_5402908Single seeds in a 1 to 2 inch long, propeller-shaped fruit.  Fruits are straw to reddish brown colored.  They form in large bunches, each containing hundreds of seeds that are easily dispersed by the wind.


Photo: Annemarie Smith, ODNR Division of Forestry, Bugwood.org
TrreOfHeaven_Leaf_Thumbnail_5402906-PPTCompound leaves are 1 to 3 feet long with 10 to 40 leaflets.  
At the base of each leaflet are 2 to 4 rounded teeth with a rounded gland on the lower surface.  The glands secrete a sugary substance.
Photo: Annemarie Smith, ODNR Division of Forestry, Bugwood.org
TreeOfHeaven_bark_Thumbnail_2190059-PPTGrayish bark is relatively smooth.  It tends to resemble cantaloupe when mature.  
Trees grow to 60-70 ft tall and the trunks to 20 feet diameter.

Photo: Richard Gardner, Bugwood.org
TreeOfHeaven_tree_Thumbnail_5451562-PPTBranches are alternate.  
The pith is soft, with a peanut butter appearance.  
The leaf scars are prominent and heart-shaped.


Photo: Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org

RESOURCES

Fire Effects Information System (FEIS)

Tree of Heaven ID - YouTube

Cornell Cooperative Extension