Boston's Stink Trees (Ailanthus) Are In Bloom

Environmentalist love trees. Right? Well, not all trees. There are trees that even environmentalists are willing to cut down and dig up. One of those is the Ailanthus tree, also known as Stink Tree, Tree-of-heaven, China-sumac, and Varnishtree.

Ailanthus trees are in bloom in Boston right now. The male trees produce an aroma that has been compared to cat urine. The female trees cover gardens, alleys, cars, and sidewalks with seed droppings and debris. If you enter the search term "stink tree" into Google™, you'll come up with entries for the Ailanthus.

A visit to the Federal Department of Agriculture's site on invasive species, provides an amazing collection of governmental and non-governmental agencies who'll tell you why this invasive species must be controlled and, where possible, replaced with native plants. Here's the link:

http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/plants/treeheaven.shtml

There are those who defend the trees saying that at least they do grow under harsh urban conditions. However, many of those who live, walk, or play near an ailanthus are concerned about the smell, the damage to foundations and plumbing and the mess they create.

At Architectural Commission hearings around the city, homeowners frequently petition to remove an Ailanthus. While these requests are sometimes an effort to create additional parking space, problems they are having with the trees are often cited as the reason for removal.

Fortunately, since trees and maintaining green spaces is important in the city; homeowners who are allowed to remove one tree are often required to replace it with a more suitable specimen.

One interesting article on replacing these trees is available from EarthWorks Boston. Author, Joel Gerwein, says, "Ailanthus trees did not grow in North America until they were brought here by people. Since their arrival, they have spread rapidly, invading natural habitats and displacing the native trees that grew here before them. In North America, Ailanthus trees are free of many of the constraints they face in their native China. The insects that specialize in eating Ailanthus leaves and the fungi that infect the tree are largely absent from this continent. Our native animals did not evolve to eat Ailanthus seeds, and our native plants did not evolve to tolerate the toxins Ailanthus trees release into the soil to discourage competition."

The full article is at:

http://www.earthworksboston.org/articles/UWinvasives.htm

There a many excellent guides to identifying trees available, here are a few to consider adding to your bookshelf.

Comments

[Tammy (BFW)]

That is SO funny. Without being overly graphic... I have ALWAYS thought those trees smelled like semen! I hate that damn smell...

[42]

so that's what is dropping bazillions of sticky little green pellets all over the back alley. ugh! now they're starting to rot and get moldy.

[Penny]

I don't know if they are the ones you mean but I can tell you where to find some stinky ones if you want to go and take a sniff.

If you get over to Newbury Street in the next week or so, head for the Commonwealth Avenue Mall on Hereford Street and stop at the first alley. They are on both sides of the street, right above the green droppings in the gutter and on the sidewalk.

[Rhine]

Are these the same trees that smell like sneezes? You know, that sweet floral-hay-pollen-mucus smell (it's hard to describe) that appears momentarily after a sneeze? There's some tree in Boston that smells like that. A friend of mine also compared the smell of this "sneeze tree" to semen. I didn't realize semen had a smell. I guess I never really get any near my nose.