Ailanthus altissima, tree of Heaven, in Belfast Botanic Gardens

This is one of a series of short articles about trees in the Belfast Botanic Gardens compiled by the Friends group. The tree tag number relates to the black tree maintainance tags, usually fixed on the tree trunk, 2 to 3m above ground level.

Family: Simaroubaceae

Attractive tree with cream flowers in August and later pinkish fruit. The young specimen near the bandstand in Belfast Botanic Gardens was planted in the 1970s and now flowers prolifically. Attractive when young, this is not a tree for a small garden as it can reach 28m height. It can spread from suckers which may extend up to 30m from the parent tree. In the UK it does not set viable seed (yet!), but in warmer climates it can become an invasive problem by seeding. It has compound leaves (cf. walnut and ash), with each leaflet having usually a single, or up to 6, basal teeth. The teeth have a gland that oozes an unpleasant-smelling nectar. This is observed to attract ants which then control leaf-eating insects.

Belfast Botanic Gardens Tree Archive