There are scattered plants and scattered patches of Ailanthus (Tree of Heaven) throughout the park. Ailanthus is considered to be one of our "most unwanted" plants (interesting article here). With herbicide treatment available only on rare occasions, I try to uproot as many small trees as possible, and the larger ones I cut, leaving about three feet of stump. The tree then re-sprouts from that stump, and I go back periodically to cut off the sprouts, With sufficient persistence, this will eventually kill the tree. Returning to one of these sites today, a year after the initial cutting, I found that some of the stems had sprouted vigorous new shoots. So vigorous, in fact, that the leaves, which are compound, exceed the largest size given in the official plant descriptions. The leaf with its compound leaflets shown here is four and half feet long. Note the pruning shears along the base of the leaf.
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The NaturalistThoughts on the park, its residents and how to preserve its natural beauty. Archives
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