Thanks so much Ben...I agree with you. My tree guide did not show the fruit or leaves, but the fruit did turn brown/orange after a week or so. There were many small ones starting nearby...I'm glad we didn't transplant any! They were growing along the Rails to Trails, and they were all brown and obviously dead in September or October. The power company had been spraying the areas around the power lines and I was upset (there were no lines in the immediate vicinity). Now I understand...thanks again. Donna
Ben Richey
10-May-2006 19:04
Unfortunately, I am nearly positive that this photo is of Ailanthus altissima, or Tree-of-Heaven. This is an exotic invasive tree and is very harmful to the native environment. Black ash has toothed leaves, not the smooth-edged leaves in this photo. The fruit of black ash is straight, not curly like the tree of heaven. Another distinguishing feature is that Ailanthus has smooth bark, while the black ash will have rough bark.
