Flowering plantsIn Clermont County, Ohio

Tree-of-heaven

Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle

Tree-of-heaven in all of Ohio
tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
(c) raviner, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC BY-NC 4.0 (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Genus
Ailanthus

Introduced and invasive status

Invasive in Ohio: Ohio Department of Agriculture (opens in a new tab)

Also listed

Ohio law lists it as an invasive plant: not native to Ohio, and causing, or likely to cause, economic, environmental or human health harm.

iNaturalist's volunteer curators list it as introduced in their Ohio checklist.

US-RIIS assesses a species as invasive when it causes, or is likely to cause, harm there, or is at least locally abundant and harmful ecologically, economically, or to health.

Status: Simpson A, Sellers E, Pagad S (2023). United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (US-RIIS), ver. 2.0. U.S. Geological Survey, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9KFFTOD (opens in a new tab)

Near Clermont County

Range

Where it is recorded

Season shown in 2 of Ohio's 88 counties. Explore Ohio

  • No result yet (14)
  • Recorded, too few records for a result (58)
  • Recorded, season not shown (14)
  • Season shown (2)
Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files, 1:500,000. Show as a table
Counties as a table
tree-of-heaven by Ohio county: records and mapped range
CountyRecords
Adams CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Allen CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Ashland CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Ashtabula CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Athens County102 · Recorded, season not shown
Auglaize CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Belmont CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Brown CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Butler County64 · Season shown
Carroll CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Champaign CountyNo qualifying records yet
Clark CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Clermont County28 · Recorded, season not shown
Clinton CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Columbiana CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Coshocton CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Crawford CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Cuyahoga County98 · Season shown
Darke CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Defiance CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Delaware County24 · Recorded, season not shown
Erie CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Fairfield CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Fayette CountyNo qualifying records yet
Franklin County214 · Recorded, season not shown
Fulton CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Gallia CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Geauga CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Greene County30 · Recorded, season not shown
Guernsey CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Hamilton County236 · Recorded, season not shown
Hancock CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Hardin CountyNo qualifying records yet
Harrison CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Henry CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Highland CountyNo qualifying records yet
Hocking CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Holmes CountyNo qualifying records yet
Huron CountyNo qualifying records yet
Jackson CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Jefferson CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Knox CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Lake CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Lawrence CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Licking CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Logan CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Lorain County21 · Recorded, season not shown
Lucas County95 · Recorded, season not shown
Madison CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Mahoning CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Marion CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Medina CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Meigs CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Mercer CountyNo qualifying records yet
Miami CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Monroe CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Montgomery County29 · Recorded, season not shown
Morgan CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Morrow CountyNo qualifying records yet
Muskingum CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Noble CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Ottawa CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Paulding CountyNo qualifying records yet
Perry CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Pickaway CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Pike CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Portage County28 · Recorded, season not shown
Preble CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Putnam CountyNo qualifying records yet
Richland CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Ross CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Sandusky CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Scioto CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Seneca CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Shelby CountyNo qualifying records yet
Stark County31 · Recorded, season not shown
Summit County82 · Recorded, season not shown
Trumbull CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Tuscarawas CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Union CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Van Wert CountyNo qualifying records yet
Vinton CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Warren County21 · Recorded, season not shown
Washington CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Wayne County24 · Recorded, season not shown
Williams CountyNo qualifying records yet
Wood CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Wyandot CountyNo qualifying records yet

No mapped range from the range source used, the USGS Gap Analysis Project, which maps land vertebrates only.

Season

When it is recorded

In Clermont County

Not enough evidence

The weeks are still too uncertain to show a season. Based on 28 records in 8 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, above the minimum of 20 records from 5 different years.
Show over the bars
Recording in Clermont County · records of all species each week, 25,341 in all

Records per week from 28 records in 8 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not a season or how common it is.

Show as a table
Records of tree-of-heaven in Clermont County each week, and records of all species
WeekRecords of tree-of-heavenYears recordedRecords of all species
Jan 4–100044
Jan 11–170036
Jan 18–240040
Jan 25–310086
Feb 1–70049
Feb 8–140075
Feb 15–210068
Feb 22–280092
Mar 1–700134
Mar 8–1400161
Mar 15–2100261
Mar 22–2800268
Mar 29 – Apr 400390
Apr 5–1100469
Apr 12–1800705
Apr 19–2500753
Apr 26 – May 200745
May 3–900760
May 10–1600589
May 17–2311898
May 24–30221,116
May 31 – Jun 600977
Jun 7–1311942
Jun 14–2000920
Jun 21–2711793
Jun 28 – Jul 400900
Jul 5–1133921
Jul 12–1811886
Jul 19–25111,229
Jul 26 – Aug 100813
Aug 2–8111,003
Aug 9–1521850
Aug 16–2211880
Aug 23–2911817
Aug 30 – Sep 522846
Sep 6–1211830
Sep 13–1911642
Sep 20–2611529
Sep 27 – Oct 311494
Oct 4–1000400
Oct 11–1722395
Oct 18–2400254
Oct 25–3100349
Nov 1–711167
Nov 8–1400170
Nov 15–2100132
Nov 22–2842115
Nov 29 – Dec 50095
Dec 6–120055
Dec 13–190060
Dec 20–260059
Dec 27 – Jan 20079

Reported in flower

No records here show flowers yet, so there is no flowering season to show. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.

Reported in fruit

Only 2 records here show fruit, too few to show a fruiting season. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.

In Ohio

Early May to early November, middle week Aug 9–15

Show over the bars
Recording in Ohio · records of all species each week, 1,691,199 in all

Records per week from 1,652 records in 10 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not how common it is. The grey bars show how many records of all species were made here each week, so you can see when recording itself was high or low; the season is not adjusted by them.

Recorded on 838 dates. Latest record: December 2025.

Show as a table
Records of tree-of-heaven in Ohio each week, and records of all species
WeekRecords of tree-of-heavenYears recordedRecords of all species
Jan 4–10006,211
Jan 11–17225,146
Jan 18–24114,645
Jan 25–31314,698
Feb 1–7336,023
Feb 8–14225,888
Feb 15–21435,436
Feb 22–28116,846
Mar 1–7118,321
Mar 8–145310,384
Mar 15–217412,620
Mar 22–289213,949
Mar 29 – Apr 48319,661
Apr 5–113326,860
Apr 12–183239,925
Apr 19–254341,623
Apr 26 – May 215656,391
May 3–917652,952
May 10–1628753,785
May 17–2338857,698
May 24–3032854,651
May 31 – Jun 634853,099
Jun 7–1357853,700
Jun 14–2076856,625
Jun 21–2747855,361
Jun 28 – Jul 428758,477
Jul 5–1165961,336
Jul 12–18102964,722
Jul 19–2554869,753
Jul 26 – Aug 178859,416
Aug 2–867859,712
Aug 9–1562855,994
Aug 16–2254654,328
Aug 23–2954951,772
Aug 30 – Sep 572957,167
Sep 6–1255859,075
Sep 13–1983954,543
Sep 20–26951045,860
Sep 27 – Oct 388843,180
Oct 4–1092937,841
Oct 11–1756630,824
Oct 18–2433721,156
Oct 25–3127619,021
Nov 1–721914,172
Nov 8–1411312,621
Nov 15–211637,965
Nov 22–282848,136
Nov 29 – Dec 5436,083
Dec 6–12326,004
Dec 13–19115,423
Dec 20–26325,661
Dec 27 – Jan 2008,459

Reported in flower

Only 6 records here show flowers, too few to show a flowering season. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.

Reported in fruit

No fruiting season shown here. The weeks are still too uncertain to show a season.

What these results show

These results show when people recorded a species, not when or where it occurs. Missing weeks and low counts do not mean absence or scarcity, and counts are not abundance. Contributed records reflect where, when and what people chose to observe.

Identification

How to identify it

Telling it apart

From what Ohio’s records show. Only what the records support is shown.

Often confused with

  • eastern black walnut Juglans nigraOften confused in Ohio: 51 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
  • staghorn sumac Rhus typhinaOften confused in Ohio: 36 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
  • smooth sumac Rhus glabraOften confused in Ohio: 24 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
  • golden rain tree Koelreuteria paniculata105 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • box elder Acer negundo83 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant

From iNaturalist’s similar-species counts, refreshed monthly: confusions in Ohio first, then worldwide. Only species with an Ohio result are listed.

Land cover where it is recorded

Land coverIts recordsAll Ohio records
Developed77%49%
Forest17%31%
Farmland5%11%
Open water1%3%
Wetland0.7%5%
Barren0.2%0.6%
Grassland and shrub0.1%0.9%

From 1,255 records placed within 100 m, beside all Ohio records placed the same way. People record where they go, so this shows where records come from, not where the species lives. Land cover: USGS Annual NLCD, 2025 (opens in a new tab)

Sources

Where these results come from

  • Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations and expert-identified GBIF datasets, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC. Sources
  • Seasons use the published method and its evidence thresholds. Methods
  • See it on iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)OpenPhenology is independent and not affiliated with iNaturalist.

Records behind the Ohio result

1,652 records from 2 datasets.

To cite: the GBIF download doi:10.15468/dl.y2jkt8 (opens in a new tab).

A spreadsheet (CSV) with a link to each record, on iNaturalist or GBIF. Records whose location was hidden by the observer or the source are counted but not linked.