Ailanthus
| Ailanthus | |
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| File:Ailanthus altissima1.jpg | |
| Ailanthus altissima leaf and fruit | |
| Scientific classification e | |
| Missing taxonomy template (fix): | Ailanthus |
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Ailanthus (/əˈlænθəs/;[2] derived from ailanto, an Ambonese word probably meaning "tree of the gods" or "tree of heaven")[3] is a genus of trees belonging to the family Simaroubaceae, in the order Sapindales (formerly Rutales or Geraniales). The genus is native from East Asia south to northern Australasia. One species, the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), is considered a weed or invasive species in some parts of the world.
Selected species
[edit | edit source]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 Template:Au (tree of heaven, syn. A. vilmoriniana Template:Au[4]) – northern and central mainland China, Taiwan. Invasive in North America, Europe, Britain, and Australia.[5][6] Serves as central metaphor in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
- Ailanthus excelsa Template:Au – India and Sri Lanka
- Ailanthus fordii Template:Au – China
- Ailanthus integrifolia Template:Au – New Guinea and Queensland, Australia
- Ailanthus triphysa Template:Au (white siris syn. A. malabarica[7]) – India, South-east Asia and Australia
- Ailanthus vietnamensis Template:Au – 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:[8]
- Ailanthus tardensis Template:Au – from a single locality in Hungary
- Ailanthus confucii Template:Au – Tertiary period, Europe, Asia, and North America
- Ailanthus gigas Template:Au – from a single locality in Slovenia
- Ailanthus pythii Template:Au – known from the Miocene of Iceland, Styria in Austria and the Gavdos island in Greece
- Ailanthus kurzii Template:Au – endemic to the Andaman Islands, India
- Ailanthus maximus Template:Au – known from the latest Paleocene to late Oligocene in the Tibetan Plateau[9]
Ailanthus silk moth
[edit | edit source]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.[3] Other Lepidoptera whose larvae feed on Ailanthus include Endoclita malabaricus, and Atteva aurea (commonly known as the Ailanthus webworm moth).
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Ailanthus Desf. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ↑ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ailanthus". Encyclopædia Britannica. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 437.
- ↑ "The Plant List – Ailanthus vilmoriniana".
- ↑ Peter Brown; Helen Roy (23 March 2010). "Invasive species of Oxfordshire". BBC Oxford. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
- ↑ "National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC): Gateway to invasive species information; covering Federal, State, local, and international sources".
- ↑ "The Plant List – Ailanthus malabarica".
- ↑ Corbett, S.L.; Manchester, S.R. (2004). "Phytogeography and Fossil History of Ailanthus (Simaroubaceae)". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 165 (4): 671–690. Bibcode:2004IJPlS.165..671C. doi:10.1086/386378. JSTOR 10.1086/386378. S2CID 85383552.
- ↑ Jia Liu; Tao Su (2019). "Biotic interchange through lowlands of Tibetan Plateau suture zones during Paleogene". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. Elsevier. 524: 33–40. Bibcode:2019PPP...524...33L. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.02.022. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
