Anyone recognise this? Blown in on the wind?

Last post 02-10-2009 4:15 PM by miranda. 22 replies.

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01/10/2009 03:53 PM	In reply to
LucyM Location: Cambridge Joined on: 01 Oct 2009 Posts: 1	Reply \| Contact Your sapling looks like a Tree of Heaven or Ailanthus altissima. If you break a leaf it will smell unpleasant/acrid. A altissima originates from China it is a large suckering tree (up to 25m tall) with alternate pinnate leaves. It is hardy so should be fine outside in winter. The other option is a Rhus which looks very similar but has slighlty serrated edges to the leaflets. Rhus is also suckering and has irritating sap. Ailanthus leaves go yellow in autumn before dropping. Rhus leaves colour very well going various bright shades of orange to red. Hope this will solve your dilemma

01/10/2009 03:53 PM

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LucyM
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Cambridge
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01 Oct 2009
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Your sapling looks like a Tree of Heaven or Ailanthus altissima. If you break a leaf it will smell unpleasant/acrid. A altissima originates from China it is a large suckering tree (up to 25m tall) with alternate pinnate leaves. It is hardy so should be fine outside in winter. The other option is a Rhus which looks very similar but has slighlty serrated edges to the leaflets. Rhus is also suckering and has irritating sap. Ailanthus leaves go yellow in autumn before dropping. Rhus leaves colour very well going various bright shades of orange to red.

Hope this will solve your dilemma

01/10/2009 06:27 PM	In reply to
Silver surfer Location: South Wales. U.K. Joined on: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 393	Reply \| Contact My first thought was Ailanthus altissima. However this has a tiny pimple on the edge of the leaflet. This is a gland. Which is why I asked for a close up of a leaf... to have a good look. Below is a pic of what I was looking for. P.S Be very patient. My pic takes ages to appear!

01/10/2009 06:27 PM

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Silver surfer
Location:
South Wales. U.K.
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My first thought was Ailanthus altissima. However this has a tiny pimple on the edge of the leaflet. This is a gland. Which is why I asked for a close up of a leaf... to have a good look. Below is a pic of what I was looking for.

P.S Be very patient. My pic takes ages to appear!

01/10/2009 09:36 PM	In reply to
stone_the_crows Location: NW1 Joined on: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 31	Reply \| Contact Here are the close up - i hope these will work. When i try to copy and paste the actual image nothing appears... so: Topside - http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/5940/dsc00616z.jpg Underside - http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/1004/dsc00615la.jpg There's no gland there, and the the broken leaf doesn't smell particularly bad - just 'leafy'. So not Ailanthus then? But also i can't make out any serrated edges either... and not Rhus then? hmmm. Unless anyone's got any ideas i'll wait until it does something interesting and let you know!

01/10/2009 09:36 PM

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stone_the_crows
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Here are the close up - i hope these will work. When i try to copy and paste the actual image nothing appears...

so:

Topside - http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/5940/dsc00616z.jpg

Underside - http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/1004/dsc00615la.jpg

There's no gland there, and the the broken leaf doesn't smell particularly bad - just 'leafy'. So not Ailanthus then?

But also i can't make out any serrated edges either... and not Rhus then? hmmm.

Unless anyone's got any ideas i'll wait until it does something interesting and let you know!

01/10/2009 10:41 PM	In reply to
Silver surfer Location: South Wales. U.K. Joined on: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 393	Reply \| Contact stone the crows, thank you. 1st pic shows the glands on the top 2 leaflets on the right side, also one on the bottom left leaflet. So now you are the owner of a Tree of Heaven! Having said that they grow HUGE and sucker like crazy. So, unless you have a VERY big garden I would suggest it goes on the compost heap. Do hope this helps. http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&rls=p,com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7SUNA_en-GB&um=1&q=ailanthus+altissima&sa=N&start=20&ndsp=20 http://www.invasive.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=1330079 SS

01/10/2009 10:41 PM

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Silver surfer
Location:
South Wales. U.K.
Joined on:
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393

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stone the crows, thank you.

1st pic shows the glands on the top 2 leaflets on the right side, also one on the bottom left leaflet.

So now you are the owner of a Tree of Heaven!

Having said that they grow HUGE and sucker like crazy. So, unless you have a VERY big garden I would suggest it goes on the compost heap.

Do hope this helps.

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&rls=p,com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7SUNA_en-GB&um=1&q=ailanthus+altissima&sa=N&start=20&ndsp=20

http://www.invasive.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=1330079

01/10/2009 10:57 PM	In reply to
bogweevil Location: Joined on: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 2,043	Reply \| Contact Seedling tree leaves are often atypical, it is a juvenilty thing to be technical. Because of this I rather support the Ailanthus altissima, tree of heaven theory, which is usually slightly toothed at the base of the leaflets, but these are often lacking or at least rather indistinct (as here) in juvenile foliage I believe. It has very small seeds that tend to spread hither and yon. The Bogweevil has a self-sown example in his garden, a male tree, on which the glands are often missing from leaves on newly pruned shoots - newly pruned shoots are analogous to the juvenile foliage you observe. Have you tried the crucial crush test? If the the crushed leaves are malodorous when crushed it would support this guess. Boggy Beware the bat-eared bogweevil

01/10/2009 10:57 PM

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bogweevil
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Seedling tree leaves are often atypical, it is a juvenilty thing to be technical. Because of this I rather support the Ailanthus altissima, tree of heaven theory, which is usually slightly toothed at the base of the leaflets, but these are often lacking or at least rather indistinct (as here) in juvenile foliage I believe. It has very small seeds that tend to spread hither and yon. The Bogweevil has a self-sown example in his garden, a male tree, on which the glands are often missing from leaves on newly pruned shoots - newly pruned shoots are analogous to the juvenile foliage you observe. Have you tried the crucial crush test? If the the crushed leaves are malodorous when crushed it would support this guess. Boggy

Beware the bat-eared bogweevil

01/10/2009 11:00 PM	In reply to
stone_the_crows Location: NW1 Joined on: 16 Jun 2008 Posts: 31	Reply \| Contact Good grief! So it does... well spotted!! Thanks so much. But unfortunately i don't have a garden - i don't even a compost heap. Such a shame to chuck it out tho. My oak, sycamore and horse chestnut saplings all died on me! oh well, c'est la vie. Cheers all!

01/10/2009 11:00 PM

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stone_the_crows
Location:
NW1
Joined on:
16 Jun 2008
Posts:
31

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Good grief! So it does... well spotted!!

Thanks so much. But unfortunately i don't have a garden - i don't even a compost heap. Such a shame to chuck it out tho. My oak, sycamore and horse chestnut saplings all died on me!

oh well, c'est la vie.

Cheers all!