Welcome back to another episode of Lost In the Farmers Market, so in our last episode we talked about Bradford Pears (Pyrus calleryana) which are a bafflingly bad choice for a tree in the landscape. Well in conjunction with a LITFM Fieldtrips episode today in detail I will be covering the topic of an invasive deciduous tree called the Tree of Heaven.
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| Image courtesy of Oregon State University, this image shows the form of a moderately sized tree. |
The Tree of Heaven’s scientific name is Ailanthus altissima, and as I said before it is deciduous and is considered an invasive tree. This tree can rapidly grow to a height of 60-75 feet with a canopy of 35-50 feet; it is not uncommon for specimens of this tree to grow up to six feet per year. It’s leaves are borne alternately but the leaves themselves are evenly pinnate. Ailanthus is found in USDA zones 5a through 8. It is not soil sensitive and will grow almost anywhere even in extremely acidic soils; the most acidic it has been recorded to have grown in is 4.1 pH. This adaptability and its ability to survive drought, herbicide and fires have made it hard to eradicate.
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| This is a example of a young Ailanthus, now how it's been cut down once and is vigorously regrowing. |
Additionally the roots of this particular tree will form offsets which are genetically identical to the parent and will also have the same gender as the parent. Normally this is where I would say it’s a limiting factor that Ailanthus are either male or female trees, however upon further research it seems a portion of their population is both, which may or may not include flowers that are bisexual. This means that it is possible that singular group of Ailanthus trees might suddenly be able to reproduce and you might have a greater threat on your hands after years of it only being able to ‘clone’ itself from root offshoots. Given that the seeds of Ailanthus have a 90% germination rate this plant would otherwise have no problem reproducing by way of its winged seeds which can drift on the wind a fair distance.
This is a typical example of a seed cluster on a Tree of Heaven, a healthy tree can produce several hundred seeds per cluster and the recorded record for a singular tree is between 470,000 and 440,000 seeds. In short these things are determined to multiply.
What makes this tree undesirable is its aggressive means of reproduction but also the fact that its fast growth comes at the cost of the tree having soft wood. Ailanthus’s bark is thin and easily damaged from mechanical impacts and it is susceptible to branch breakage at the crotch because of weak branch collar formation and the fact that the wood is very soft. All parts of the tree emit a odor when handled that roughly resembles peanut butter that has gone bad, though some liken it to rotting cashews or garbage. This makes the plant undesirable for gardens where it might be handled and unpleasant to work with in a woodworking sense. Ailanthus’s roots are also known to heave sidewalks and roads making it a troublesome tree for long-term urban planting. In the fall this tree’s foliage color is give-or-take yellow, but the display is so short lived and this tree tends to drop leaves early making it not even useful for fall color. All parts of the Ailanthus plant produce a specific inhibitor compound called Ailanthone which inhibits the growth of most other plants, especially those that have not been exposed to it in prior generations. This natural herbicide of sorts is not unique to the Ailanthus as the Eastern Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) produces a compound called Hydrojuglone which essentially has the same effect. Ailanthus is known by several common names including Stink Tree, Garbage Tree, Varnish Tree, Tree of Hell, and its Chinese name Chouchun. As last bit of information on this miscreant of a plant, it belongs to the Simaroubaceae family of which it is the most famous member. However, it has a not-so-well-known cousin named Quassia amara which has a number of medical uses, is effective at killing hair-based parasites and can kill mosquito larva without harming fish.There is one last thing to mention, Aailanthus looks like a bunch of other non-invasive trees, and oftenthese trees are damaged or eradicated in a misguided attempt to kill Ailanthus. Similar looking trees include the Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina), various Ash trees (Fraxinus sp.), Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), and various Hickories (Carya sp.). Identifying these similar looking trees is fairly easy, Sumac has fuzzy reddish-brown stems and leaves and may have fuzzy fruits. Ash Trees have opposite leaves, and all four look-alikes have completely to mostly toothed leaf margins. As an additional identifier, Black walnuts may produce a dead zone nearly devoid of other plants around their roots and they have large green fruits that when crushed will dye whatever touches the juices brown. Plus, Black Walnut fruits have an aroma you can't mistake for anything else. If you don't know for sure, hold off on the herbicide and check with an expert, that tree that looks like an Ailanthus might turn out to be a Pecan Tree (Pecans are a type of Hickory). But anyway enough of the gloomy world of a terrible invasive and on to this weeks garden photographs.
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| My Pomegranates are heavily in bloom for the first time since they were planted, I suspect this has more to do with me not pruning them this year than anything else. |
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| It was surprisingly difficult to get a photograph of this but, two years later finally my Walking Iris (Neomarica northiana) are in bloom. the Flowers literally last less than one day. The plants are called walking iris because they produce plantlets on flexible stems that allow them to spread. Walking Iris are hardy in USDA zones 10 and 11. |
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| These are the specimen plants of Wonderberry (Solanum retroflexum) in the Test Gardens. |
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| Well now it's officially summer, the Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is now in bloom. |
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| Here we have the first nearly ripe tomato of 2021, It's a Sungold Cherry Tomato of course! |
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| The raised garden bed, which currently has a Zanzibar Castor bean (bottom), Two Alabama Blue Collard Plants (middle) and a Pineapple Sage (Top). |
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| Here we have a Domesticated Cat (Felis catus), This cat isn't feral, she's just taken up residence on property and recently had kittens under the Pomegranate Bush. I've started feeding her and making sure she has access to clean water and honestly she's sort of become the Test Garden's Mascot. I dont know if she's just someone's outdoor cat or an outdoor cat that's used to people but I've named her Caliente. This Spanish for for emitting heat or warmth but more commonly means spicy which she was early on. She'd hiss, then meow then growl and meow again early on and I'd ask 'why are you so spicy? So the name stuck, and she's 'cali' some times for short. |
With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but by booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog. Also, as of the start of 2019, my booth can now process credit or debit cards thanks to the acquisition of s a Square reader so your payment options have doubled. With that said, if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic vegetables, herbs and fruiting shrubs come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the Hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.
Summer Veggies & Herbs: ($3.00 each)
Sungold Cherry Tomato (Sale $2.00)
Chocolate Cherry Tomato (Sale $2.00)
Lemon Drop Tomato (Sale $2.00)
Sweet Hundreds Cherry Tomato (Sale $2.00)
San Marzano Improved Paste Tomato (Sale $2.00)
Aunt Lou’s Underground Railroad (Sale $2.00)
Paul Robeson Tomato (Sale $2.00)
Cherokee Purple Tomato (Sale $2.00)
Walla Walla Sweet Onion
6" pot Sungold Tomato (Sale $3.00)
6" pot Chocolate Cherry Tomato (Sale $3.00)
Pepper, Sweet Banana
Pepper, Poblano/Ancho
Pepper, Habanero
Pepper, Golden Bell
Pepper, Ghost ($4.00)
Wonderberry (Limited Quantity)
Ground Cherry (Limited Quantity)
Cotton, Erlene's Green (Limited Quantity)
Basil, Emerald Tower
Basil, Dolche Fresca
Basil, Rutgers DMR Devotion
Cuban Oregano
Oregano
Mountain Mint
Ornamental Stuff:
Zanzibar Castor Beans
Mexican Sunflower 'Fuego Del Sol'
Flowering Tobacco 'Saratoga Lime'
Coming Soon:
Comfrey (Late summer)
We have a new place to share information and work on groovy sustainable stuff! You can look for Sustainable Neighbors in our own Nextdoor.com group under the name “Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville”. You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join but it is a private group so feel free to request to join us if you are signed up on the Nextdoor.com site.
https://nextdoor.com/g/ybvdm226x/?is=nav_bar
Unfortunately, Covid-19 is still mucking up the works in terms of meeting in person. The good news is that Sustainable Neighbors does have a Discord Server. You can request access through our Meetup.com page or you can request access via our Nextdoor.com group. The meetup.com page is below for anyone looking to join us.
https://www.meetup.com/SustainableNeighbors/
Since our meetings have an open-door policy you don’t need to buy anything or maintain any sort of attendance standard, you can come on in and join the meetings. When this Covid-19 mess calms down we may be able to resume normal in-person meetings. If not, you can always send me questions through this blog or visit the farmer’s market. This brings to a close the twenty-first LITFM post of 2020; stay tuned the next episode which should be posted on the 13th of November. There will be more garden updates and other cool stuff.
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