''Ailanthus'' (; derived from ''ailanto,'' an

Ambonese The Ambonese, also known as South Moluccans, are an Indonesian ethnic group of mixed Austronesian and Melanesian origin. They are majority Christians followed by Muslims. The Ambonese are from Ambon Island in Maluku, an island group east of Sula ...

word probably meaning "tree of the gods" or "tree of heaven") is a genus of trees belonging to the family Simaroubaceae, in the order Sapindales (formerly

Rutales Sapindales is an order of flowering plants. Well-known members of Sapindales include citrus; maples, horse-chestnuts, lychees and rambutans; mangos and cashews; frankincense and myrrh; mahogany and neem. The APG III system of 2009 includes it i ...

or Geraniales). The genus is native from east Asia south to northern Australasia.

Selected species

The number of living species is disputed, with some authorities accepting up to ten species, while others accept six or fewer. Species include: *'' Ailanthus altissima'' (tree of heaven,

syn. The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...

'' A. vilmoriniana'' ) – northern and central mainland China, Taiwan.

Invasive Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...

in North America, Europe, Britain, and Australia. Serves as central metaphor in '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn''. *''

Ailanthus excelsa ''Ailanthus excelsa'', commonly known as tree of heaven, is a large deciduous tree found in India and Sri Lanka. In Tamil, it is also known as Pi-Nari Maram due to its disagreeable odor. The trees are grown along the edges of fields and rivers to ...

'' – India and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

*''

Ailanthus fordii ''Ailanthus'' (; derived from ''ailanto,'' an Ambonese word probably meaning "tree of the gods" or "tree of heaven") is a genus of trees belonging to the family Simaroubaceae, in the order Sapindales (formerly Rutales or Geraniales). The genus ...

'' – China *''

Ailanthus integrifolia ''Ailanthus integrifolia'', white siris, is a tree in the family Simaroubaceae. The specific epithet ' is from the Latin meaning "entire leaves", referring to the leaflet margins. Description ''Ailanthus integrifolia'' grows as a large tree up ...

'' – New Guinea and Queensland,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

*''

Ailanthus triphysa ''Ailanthus triphysa'' (also ''Ailanthus malabarica'') is a medium to tall evergreen rainforest tree in Asia and Australia. The wood may be used for matchwood and plywood. The tree is known as ''halmaddi'' in India, where its resin, also called ' ...

'' (white siris

''A. malabarica'') – India, South-east Asia and Australia *''

Ailanthus vietnamensis ''Ailanthus'' (; derived from ''ailanto,'' an Ambonese word probably meaning "tree of the gods" or "tree of heaven") is a genus of trees belonging to the family Simaroubaceae, in the order Sapindales (formerly Rutales or Geraniales). The genus ...

'' – Vietnam There is a good fossil record of ''Ailanthus'' with many species names based on their geographic occurrence, but almost all of these have very similar morphology and have been grouped as a single species among the three species recognized: *''

Ailanthus tardensis ''Ailanthus'' (; derived from ''ailanto,'' an Ambonese word probably meaning "tree of the gods" or "tree of heaven") is a genus of tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branc ...

'' – from a single locality in Hungary *''

Ailanthus confucii ''Ailanthus'' (; derived from ''ailanto,'' an Ambonese word probably meaning "tree of the gods" or "tree of heaven") is a genus of trees belonging to the family Simaroubaceae, in the order Sapindales (formerly Rutales or Geraniales). The genus ...

'' – Tertiary period, Europe, Asia, and North America *''

Ailanthus gigas ''Ailanthus'' (; derived from ''ailanto,'' an Ambonese word probably meaning "tree of the gods" or "tree of heaven") is a genus of trees belonging to the family Simaroubaceae, in the order Sapindales (formerly Rutales or Geraniales). The genus ...

'' – from a single locality in Slovenia *''

Ailanthus pythii ''Ailanthus'' (; derived from ''ailanto,'' an Ambonese word probably meaning "tree of the gods" or "tree of heaven") is a genus of trees belonging to the family Simaroubaceae, in the order Sapindales (formerly Rutales or Geraniales). The genu ...

'' – known from the Miocene of Iceland,

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

in Austria and the Gavdos island in Greece *''

Ailanthus kurzii ''Ailanthus'' (; derived from ''ailanto,'' an Ambonese word probably meaning "tree of the gods" or "tree of heaven") is a genus of trees belonging to the family Simaroubaceae, in the order Sapindales (formerly Rutales or Geraniales). The genus ...

'' – endemic to the

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...

, India

Ailanthus silk moth

A silk spinning moth, the ailanthus silkmoth ('' Samia cynthia''), lives on ''Ailanthus'' leaves, and yields a silk more durable and cheaper than mulberry silk, but inferior to it in fineness and gloss. This moth has been introduced to the eastern United States and is common near many towns; it is about 12 cm across, with angulated wings, and in color olive brown, with white markings. Other

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

whose larvae feed on ''Ailanthus'' include ''

Endoclita malabaricus ''Endoclita malabaricus'' is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It is known from India. Food plants for this species include ''Acacia'', ''Ailanthus'', ''Albizia'', ''Bridelia'', ''Cajanus'', ''Callicarpa'', ''Camellia'', '' Cassia'', '' ...

''.

References

*
Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Ailanthus''
{{Taxonbar , from=Q160580 Sapindales genera

Selected species

Ailanthus silk moth

See also

References