Fasciation in Ailanthus altissima, "Tree of Heaven"

Herrick Brown, now the curator of the A C Moore Herbarium at U S C, visited us recently with eye-popping examples of fasciation in plants. The most bizarre – but in a good way – was the wildly flattened and divided stem of Tree of Heaven, an invasive that grows anywhere (it’s the plant reference in the title of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) – I’ve seen it next to dumpsters behind stores and sadly in wooded areas. Native to China, Ailanthus altissima also has the common name stinking sumac – it resembles our native sumac, but its flowers have a particularly offensive smell. The stunningly exotic looking specimen Herrick brought had possibly been the target of herbicide which can sometimes result in fasciation in plants – but natural causes, insect damage, disease or others can also produce this bizarre yet intriguing growth.