WORKSHOP BLOGGING....

Hr Ni dkampus ngadain workshop mengenai Blog!!!!
Lumayan baguslah...
Walopun agak malas2an ngikutinnya, abis mata merah, idung gatel2, tp gk susah ko klo buang aer besar..intinya workshop x ini tak masalahhhhh....LANJUTKAN!!!!!!

Pasto - Jujur Aku Tak Sanggup

Pasto – Jujur Aku Tak Sanggup

Oh ini kisah sedihku

Ku meninggalkan dia

Betapa bodohnya aku

Dan kini aku menyesal

Melepas keindahan

Dan itu kamu

reff:

Tuhan tolonglah aku

Kembalikan dia

Ke dalam pelukku

Karena ku tak bisa

Mengganti dirinya

Ku akui jujur aku tak sanggup

sungguh aku tak bisa

Dan tlah ku jalani semua

Cinta selain kamu

Tapi tak ada yang sama

Beribu cara kutempuh

Tuk melupakan kamu

Tapi tak mampu

repeat reff

oooo, sungguh aku tak bisa

jujur aku tak sanggup

sungguh aku tak bisa

huuuuu, yeeeee

Memalukan sekali!!! Klo salah menempatkan sesuatu

Wuihhhh, rasanya males banget berlama2 ngantri!!! Tp ini harus gw lakukan, mengingat (cailah) bsok gw dah ujian! (lho??? Apa hubungannya day?) yaiyalah bsok tu gw dah ujian, dan gw harus mau ngantri berlama2 buat ngambil kartu ujian!!!
Klo gk ada tu kartu, gw gk bisa ujian!!! Makanya gw bela2in
Tdnya gw mau ti2p aja ma ningsi tmen gw, eeeehhh pas dianya dah masuk tu, kruangan ADM (baca : Administrasi) gw kan dah seneng bnget nich, ternyata dengan sangat menyesal bgitu dia dah keluar, kartu gw….
Gw : (seneng bnget ngeliat ningsi kluar dr ADM) “ mana bro kartu gw??”
Ningsi : (ekspresi muka menyesal, tp gw rasa kyk orang mw buang angin (baca: kentut) “sory bnget bro, kyaknya lo harus jd WNI y baek, ngantrilah kau saudara ku, krn kartu mu tidak dapat di wakilkan!”
Gw : “haaaahhhhh!!! Anjroto Italiano Busetto, mengapo ini terjadi pada diri ambo!!! Upss!!! (apaan sich gw) maksud lo gw harus ngantri gtu???”
Ningsi : “yup anda benar sodaraku”
Gw : “owwww ya ampyun…..”
Akhirnya dengan berat hati, jantung , paru2, dan berat pantat!!! Gw mau jg ngantri, uhhhh malasnya diriku…
Gw ngantri kyak orang jualan pake acara2 treak2 segala (sebenarnya itu saran Yane, katanya supaya satpam y jaga, rada iba ngeliat gw) padahal menurut gw kyk sales nawarin dagangan kali yah…
Abisnya gmn semua jg pada gtu, kbetulan ada satpam y jaga ddpan pintu masuknya.
Mahasiswa y lg pada gantri (MYLPG)
MYLPG : “bang… bang… gw dulu bang…
Gw : “gw bang, gw bang…..
(salah satu diantara mereka ada y masuk)
Satpam : “ ehhh km ngapain ikutan masuk, gk bs!!! nanti2 ngantri dulu”
MYLPG : (dengan jawaban diplomatis + muka tak berdosa tu orang bilang) “gw masuk mo tmenin dia bang”
Spontan gw ma y laen pada ketawa.. gmn gk ketawa, dtengah2 keramaian dia ngomong kyk gtu dengan santainya… kwakakakaka…
Gw masih dalam antrian panjang…
Gw mencium bau (ketek) sesuatu dalam antrian…
Gw masih ngantri…
Gw pengen pingsan, tp posisinya gk PW
Gw pengen tidur dalam antrian, tp gk bs2 (ya iyalah secara lg ngantri kok mw tidur)
Adowwww!!!! Ni sekarang kaki gw keinjek!!! Buset dah!!! Mana gw gk tau lg sapa tersangkanya…
Akhirnya gw masuk jg…
Gw : “ kak, NURDAYANA (my complete name..hehehehe) SI-A pagi”
ADM : “ ni kartunya day, tp tandatangan dulu, tu kertasnya sekalian tempel photonya ya (kata dia sambil nunjuk meja 4 segi y ada dsudut, buat tandatangan ama nempel photo gw)
Dengan santainya ywdah gw tandatangan aja trus sekalian gw tempelin photo gw y manis ini (yeee lo gk boleh sirik!!! Narsis dikit gk pa2lah?)
Akhirnya siap jg buat ngedapetin kartu ujian y gk seberapa ini pikir gw…
Gw : “ ni kak kartunya, cap terus ya, capek ni gw, pengen cepat2 kluar..
ADM bengong ngeliatin photo gw…
Gw nyantai aja malah sempat2nya gw bilang kdia (ADM-red) “ napa kak, itu photo terbaru gw, jangan diliatin gtu donk, jd malu ni gw”
ADM : “ day…day… klo stress jngan kyk gni caranya “
Trus dengan santainya dia (ADM) bilang kADM2 y laen sambil ketawa2 gtu, liat ni iday lg stress masak photonya dtempel dsini!!!(sambil nunjuk photo dkartu gw)
Semua (ADM + Mahasiswa laen) pada noleh ngeliatin gw dan di+ ketawa setan…
Gw masih blom connect jg…
Rada error kali yah???
Apakah ini krn penyebab dari kelelahan y tiada tara???? (lho?!)
1 detik…
10 detik…
5 menit kemudian…
Zeebbb… (bagaikan bnyak lampu d kepala gw) akhirnya gw ngeh jg. Tp te2p aja semua mata memandangi diriku y rada error hr ini sambil diiringi ketawa setan y ngebuat gw seketika itu menciut!!! Pengen dech rasanya ngebalikin waktu 1 jam kebelakang biar gw gk ngebuat suatu hal y memalukan ini, atau paling gk ngebuat mereka semua (ADM + MYLPG) ilang ingatan untuk sementara waktu (ngarep!!)
Akhirnya kelar jg. Dan gw keluar dengan selamat, walaupun tengsin bnget td pas ddalam.
Gw masih dtempat parkiran ama temen2 y laen. Kebetulan ada temen gw y br mau masuk.
Antrian jg masih pada rame bnget, tp akhirnya temen gw y baru masuk td, berhasil keluar dengan selamat trus dia langsung nanyain kita semua (gw ama temen2 y laen)
“eh bro semua, lo pada tau gk ADM y baru?”
“ya taulah,emang knapa?”
“tu mbak kan cantik, tp busyet!!! Keteknya bau bnget!!!!”
“hahhhhh!!! Jd lo Cuma mw ngomong gtu doank bro!!! huahahahahaha” (kata gw rada kaget ama tmen2 y laen tp, te2p+ ketawa setan)
Owwwww yaampyunnnn, pada error nich semua…

BASE CAME FAVORITE GW

 

Klo loe Tanya ma gw tempat2 apa aja y jd favorit gw, pasti banyak bnget bro…(sambil mikir nich) ya iyalah bnyak, karena klo perkiraan gw nich (cailah, emang cuaca dperkirain) setiap kali gw ksuatu t4, gw bakal kesana lg, dalam jangka waktu y berdekatan, dan itu emang beneran bro, klo loe gk percaya, tanya aja ama bro yane tuch.. tu anak selalu bareng gw kmana2(klo di ibaratkan, kita tuh kyak perangko ama lem, gw lemnya and yane perangkonya, trus kyak Tarzan ama Monyetny. Gw Tarzannya and bro Yane (ups, gk usah dilanjutin gk tega gw… kwkakakaka) sory bro, gw gk bermaksud untuk tidak ngejek elo, kerena gw tau ada pepatah y mengatakan : “ Mengejeklah kamu, sebelum kamu gk mengejek sama sekali “ gtu bro.
Oya kok jd kmana2 nich, td kan crt t4 favorit gw… banyak sich, karena begitu banyaknya gw ndiri ampe bingung. Tp ada satu t4 nich y sering bnget kita kunjungi klo lg laper dan duitnya kbetulan lg cekak (bokek) dan pengen mkn enak (oalaahhh, emang bs??) dimana lg klo bukan dwarungnya Bu Hajjah!!! (ketawa2 dech lo, gw dah duluan) kwakakakakak… Namany boleh bikin lo ketawa, tp masakannya klo lo sering ngikutin wisata kuliner (cailahh) rasanya nendang bro!!! mak nyos gtu…
Ada tips nich dr gw… Klo loe kbetulan lg gk punya duit and pengen mkn enak ikutin nich saran2 gw y rada2 aneh, tp bs bkin lo kenyang bro…
1. loe inget2 lg sapa temen loe y lg ulang tahun tepat dihari
(kelaparan) loe alias bokek.
2. klo lo dah inget, trus lo samperin dia dan ucapin selamat ultah buat
doi.
3. klo dia gk ngeh jg maksud loe yang udah (kelaparan bnget) nunjukin
sikap sebagai seorang sahabat y selalu ingat kpn ultah sahabatnya,
mending lo bantuin ibu kantin y lg sibuk ngurusin pesanan makanan
y bnyak bnget, klo dah gtu djamin lo bakalan dikasih makan…
4. gw ngerasa kasian aja bro ma elo, makanya gw saranin lg, klo lg
Banyak duit nich jngan suka begadang kt B’ Roma (lho?!?) apa
Hubungannya coba?!? (loe pikir aja ndiri dech) gw jg bingung nich. :(
NB :
Saran ini hanya fiktif belaka, jd klo loe2 semua dmana aja ingin mencoba sebagian dr saran ini boleh2 aja, tp jngan salahkan gw apabila y loe harapin gk sesuai bro, dan karena gw sebagai pemberi saran sendiri blom pernah (terjun langsung) mempraktekkannya, jd yaaa Salam Olah Raga aja dech buat y ingin mencobanya…ok

Daniel Bedingfield

Daniel Bedingfield - Never Gonna Leave Your Side Lyric

Album: Gotta Get Thru This
I feel like a song without the words
A man without a soul
A bird without its wings
A heart without a home
I feel like a knight without a sword
The sky without the sun
Cos you are the one

I feel like a ship beneath the waves
A child who's lost its way
A door without a key
A face without a name
I feel like a breath without the air
And every day's the same
Since you've gone away

I gotta have a reason to wake up in the morning
You used to be the one that put a smile on my face
There are no words that could describe how I miss you
And I miss you everyday yeah

And I'm never gonna leave your side
And I'm never gonna leave your side again
Still holding on girl
I won't let you go
Cos when I'm lying in your arms
I know I'm home

They tell me that a man can lose his mind
Living in the pain
Recalling times gone by
And crying in the rain
You know I've wasted half the time
And I'm on my knees again
Till you come to me yeah

I gotta have a reason to wake up in the morning
You used to be the one that put a smile on my face
There are no words that could describe how I miss you
And I miss you everyday yeah

And I'm never gonna leave your side
And I'm never gonna leave your side again
Still holding on girl
I won't let you go
I lay my head against your heart
I know I'm home
I know I'm home
I know I'm home

And I'm never gonna leave your side
And I'm never gonna leave your side again
Still holding on girl
I won't let you go
Cos when I'm lying in your arms
I know I'm home

Ecology

Ecology
A female bearing a heavy load of seeds in Valladolid, Spain

Ailanthus is an opportunistic plant that thrives in full sun and disturbed areas. It spreads aggressively both by seeds and vegetatively by root sprouts. It can re-sprout rapidly after being cut.[2] It is considered a shade-intolerant tree and cannot compete in low-light situations,[23] though it is sometimes found competing with hardwoods, but such competition rather indicates it was present at the time the stand was established.[2] On the other hand, a study in an old-growth hemlock-hardwood forest in New York found that Ailanthus was capable of competing successfully with native trees in canopy gaps where only 2 to 15% of full sun was available. The same study characterised the tree as using a "gap-obligate" strategy in order to reach the forest canopy, meaning it grows rapidly during a very short period rather than growing slowly over a long period.[24] It is a short lived tree in any location and rarely lives more than 50 years.[2] Ailanthus is among the most pollution-tolerant of tree species, including to sulfur dioxide, which it absorbs in its leaves. It can withstand cement dust and fumes from coal tar operations, as well as resist ozone exposure relatively well. Furthermore, high concentrations of mercury have been found built up in tissues of the plant.[13]

Ailanthus has been used to re-vegetate areas where acid mine drainage has occurred and it has been shown to tolerate pH levels as low as 4.1 (approximately that of tomato juice). It can withstand very low phosphorus levels and high salinity levels. The drought-tolerance of the tree is strong due to its ability to effectively store water in its root system.[13] It is frequently found in areas where few trees can survive. The roots are also aggressive enough to cause damage to subterranean sewers and pipes.[3] Along highways it often forms dense thickets in which few other tree species are present, largely due to the toxins it produces to prevent competition.[13]
Female tree growing in Chicago, Illinois

Ailanthus produces an allelopathic chemical called ailanthone, which inhibits the growth of other plants.[25] The inhibitors are strongest in the bark and roots, but are also present in the leaves, wood and seeds of the plant. One study showed that a crude extract of the root bark inhibited 50% of a sample of garden cress (Lepidium sativum) seeds from germinating. The same study tested the extract as an herbicide on garden cress, redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus), velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrastii), yellow bristlegrass (Setaria glauca), barnyard grass (Echinochloa crusgalli), pea (Pisum sativum cv. Sugar Snap) and maize (Zea mays cv. Silver Queen). It proved able to kill nearly 100% of seedlings with the exception of velvetleaf, which showed some resistance.[26] Another experiment showed a water extract of the chemical was either lethal or highly damaging to 11 North American hardwoods and 34 conifers, with the white ash (Fraxinus americana) being the only plant not adversely affected.[27] The chemical does not, however, affect the tree of heaven's own seedlings, indicating that A. altissima has a defence mechanism to prevent autotoxicity.[25] Resistance in various plant species has been shown to increase with exposure. Populations without prior exposure to the chemicals are most susceptible to them. Seeds produced from exposed plants have also been shown to be more resistant than their unexposed counterparts.[28]

The tree of heaven is a very rapidly growing tree, possibly the fastest growing tree in North America.[29] Growth of one to two metres (3.3 to 6.6 ft) per year for the first four years is considered normal. Shade considerably hampers growth rates. Older trees, while growing much slower, still do so faster than other trees. Studies found that Californian trees grew faster than their East Coast counterparts, and American trees in general grew faster than Chinese ones.[29]

In northern Europe the tree of heaven was not considered naturalised in cities until after the Second World War. This has been attributed to the tree's ability to colonise areas of rubble of destroyed buildings where most other plants would not grow.[14] In addition, the warmer microclimate in cities offers a more suitable habitat than the surrounding rural areas. For example, one study in Germany found the tree of heaven growing in 92% of densely populated areas of Berlin, 25% of its suburbs and only 3% of areas outside the city altogether.[14] In other areas of Europe this is not the case as climates are mild enough for the tree to flourish. It has colonised natural areas in Hungary, for example, and is considered a threat to biodiversity at that country's Aggtelek National Park.[14]

Several species of Lepidoptera utilise the leaves of ailanthus as food, including the Indian moon moth (Actias selene) and the grass yellow (Eurema hecabe). In North America the tree is the host plant for the ailanthus webworm (Atteva punctella), though this ermine moth is native to Central and South America and originally used other members of the mostly tropical Simaroubaceae as its hosts.[30] In its native range A. altissima is associated with at least 32 species of arthropods and 13 species of fungi.[10]

Due to the tree of heaven's weedy habit, landowners and other organisations often resort to various methods of control in order to keep its populations in check. For example, the city of Basel in Switzerland has an eradication program for the tree.[14] It can be very difficult to eradicate, however. Means of eradication can be physical, thermal, managerial, biological or chemical. A combination of these can be most effective, though they must of course be compatible. All have some positive and negative aspects, but the most effective regime is a mixture of chemical and physical control. This involves the application of foliar or basal herbicides in order to kill existing trees, while either hand pulling or mowing seedlings in order to prevent new growth.[31][

Description
Botanical drawing of the leaves, flowers and samaras from Britton and Brown's 1913 Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada

A. altissima is a medium-sized tree that reaches heights between 17 and 27 metres (56 and 90 ft) with a diameter at breast height of about 1 metre (40 in).[2] The bark is smooth and light grey, often becoming somewhat rougher with light tan fissures as the tree ages. The twigs are stout, smooth to lightly pubescent, and reddish or chestnut in colour. They have lenticels as well as heart-shaped leaf scars (i.e. a scar left on the twig after a leaf falls) with many bundle scars (i.e. small marks where the veins of the leaf once connected to the tree) around the edges. The buds are finely "pubescent", dome shaped, and partially hidden behind the petiole, though they are completely visible in the dormant season at the sinuses of the leaf scars.[3] The branches are light to dark gray in colour, smooth, lustrous, and containing raised lenticels that become fissures with age. The ends of the branches become pendulous. All parts of the plant have a distinguishing strong odour that is often likened to rotting peanuts or cashews.[4]

The leaves are large, odd- or even-pinnately compound, and arranged alternately on the stem. They range in size from 30 to 90 cm (1 to 3 ft) in length and contain 10-41 leaflets organised in pairs, with the largest leaves found on vigorous young sprouts. The rachis is light to reddish-green with a swollen base. The leaflets are ovate-lanceolate with entire margins, somewhat asymmetric and occasionally not directly opposite to each others. Each leaflet is 5 to 18 cm (2 to 7 in) long and 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) wide. They have a long tapering end while the bases have two to four teeth, each containing one or more glands at the tip.[3] The leaflets' upper sides are dark green in colour with light green veins, while the undersides are a more whitish green. The petioles are 5 to 12 mm (0.2 to 0.5 in) long.[4] The lobed bases and glands distinguish it from similar sumac species.
Bark and flowers of A. altissima

Immature seeds on a female tree.

The flowers are small and appear in large panicles up to 50 cm (20 in) in length at the end of new shoots. The individual flowers are yellowish green to reddish in colour, each with five petals and sepals.[2][4] The sepals are cup-shaped, lobed and united while the petals are valvate (i.e. they meet at the edges without overlapping), white and hairy towards the inside.[3][5][6] They appear from mid-April in the south of its range to July in the north. A. altissima is dioecious, with male and female flowers being borne on different individuals. Male trees produce three to four times as many flowers as the females, making the male flowers more conspicuous. Furthermore, the male plants emit a foul smelling odour while flowering to attract pollinating insects. Female flowers contain ten (or rarely five through abortion) sterile stamens (stamenoides) with heart-shaped anthers. The pistil is made up of five free carpels (i.e. they are not fused), each containing a single ovule. Their styles are united and slender with star-shaped stigmas.[3][5] The male flowers are similar in appearance, but they of course lack a pistil and the stamens do function, each being topped with a globular anther and a glandular green disc.[3] The seeds borne on the female trees are 5 mm in diameter and each is encapsulated in a samara that is 2.5 cm long (1 in) and 1 cm (0.4 in) broad, appearing July though August, but usually persisting on the tree until the next spring. The samara is twisted at the tips, making it spin as it falls and assisting wind dispersal.[2][4] The females can produce huge amounts of seeds, normally around 30,000 per kilogram (14,000/lb) of tree.[2]

[edit]
Taxonomy

The first scientific descriptions of the tree of heaven were made shortly after it was introduced to Europe by the French Jesuit Pierre Nicholas d'Incarville. d'Incarville had sent seeds from Peking via Siberia to his botanist friend Bernard de Jussieu in the 1740s. The seeds sent by d'Incarville were thought to be from the economically important and similar looking Chinese varnish tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum), which he had observed in the lower Yangtze region, rather than the tree of heaven. d'Incarville attached a note indicating this, which caused much taxonomic confusion over the next few decades. In 1751, Jussieu planted a few seeds in France and sent others on to Philip Miller, the superintendent at the Chelsea Physic Garden, and to Philip C. Webb, the owner of an exotic plant garden in Busbridge, England.[3]

Confusion in naming began when the tree was described by all three men with three different names. In Paris, Linnaeus gave the plant the name Rhus succedanea, while it was known commonly as grand vernis du Japon. In London the specimens were named by Miller as Toxicodendron altissima and in Busbridge it was dubbed in the old classification system as Rhus Sinese foliis alatis. There are extant records from the 1750s of disputes over the proper name between Philip Miller and John Ellis, curator of Webb's garden in Busbridge. Rather than the issue being resolved, more names soon appeared for the plant: Jakob Friedrich Ehrhart observed a specimen in Utrecht in 1782 and named it Rhus cacodendron.[3]

Light was shed on the taxonomic status of ailanthus in 1788 when René Louiche Desfontaines observed the samaras of the Paris specimens, which were still labelled Rhus succedanea, and came to the conclusion that the plant was not a sumac. He published an article with an illustrated description and gave it the name Ailanthus glandulosa, placing it in the same genus as the tropical species then known as A. integrifolia (white siris, now A. triphysa). The name is derived from the Ambonese word ailanto, meaning "heaven-tree" or "tree reaching for the sky".[7][3] The specific glandulosa, referring to the glands on the leaves, persisted until as late as 1957, but it was ultimately made invalid as a later homonym at the species level.[3] The current species name comes from Walter T. Swingle who was employed by the United States Department of Plant Industry. He decided to transfer Miller's older specific name into the genus of Desfontaines, resulting in the accepted name Ailanthus altissima.[8] Altissima is Latin for "very tall", and refers to the sizes the tree can reach. The plant is sometimes incorrectly cited with the specific epithet in the masculine (glandulosus or altissimus), which is incorrect since botanical, like Classical Latin, treats most tree names as feminine.

There are three varieties of A. altissima:
A. altissima var. altissima, which is the type variety and is native to mainland China.
A. altissima var. tanakai, which is endemic to northern Taiwan highlands. It differs from the type in having yellowish bark, odd-pinnate leaves that are also shorter on average at 45 to 60 cm (18–24 in) long with only 13-25 scythe-like leaflets.[9][10][11] It is listed as endangered in the IUCN Red List of threatened species due to loss of habitat for building and industrial plantations.[12]
A. altissima var. sutchuenensis, which differs in having red branchlets.[9][10]

Description
Botanical drawing of the leaves, flowers and samaras from Britton and Brown's 1913 Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada

A. altissima is a medium-sized tree that reaches heights between 17 and 27 metres (56 and 90 ft) with a diameter at breast height of about 1 metre (40 in).[2] The bark is smooth and light grey, often becoming somewhat rougher with light tan fissures as the tree ages. The twigs are stout, smooth to lightly pubescent, and reddish or chestnut in colour. They have lenticels as well as heart-shaped leaf scars (i.e. a scar left on the twig after a leaf falls) with many bundle scars (i.e. small marks where the veins of the leaf once connected to the tree) around the edges. The buds are finely "pubescent", dome shaped, and partially hidden behind the petiole, though they are completely visible in the dormant season at the sinuses of the leaf scars.[3] The branches are light to dark gray in colour, smooth, lustrous, and containing raised lenticels that become fissures with age. The ends of the branches become pendulous. All parts of the plant have a distinguishing strong odour that is often likened to rotting peanuts or cashews.[4]

The leaves are large, odd- or even-pinnately compound, and arranged alternately on the stem. They range in size from 30 to 90 cm (1 to 3 ft) in length and contain 10-41 leaflets organised in pairs, with the largest leaves found on vigorous young sprouts. The rachis is light to reddish-green with a swollen base. The leaflets are ovate-lanceolate with entire margins, somewhat asymmetric and occasionally not directly opposite to each others. Each leaflet is 5 to 18 cm (2 to 7 in) long and 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) wide. They have a long tapering end while the bases have two to four teeth, each containing one or more glands at the tip.[3] The leaflets' upper sides are dark green in colour with light green veins, while the undersides are a more whitish green. The petioles are 5 to 12 mm (0.2 to 0.5 in) long.[4] The lobed bases and glands distinguish it from similar sumac species.
Bark and flowers of A. altissima

Immature seeds on a female tree.

The flowers are small and appear in large panicles up to 50 cm (20 in) in length at the end of new shoots. The individual flowers are yellowish green to reddish in colour, each with five petals and sepals.[2][4] The sepals are cup-shaped, lobed and united while the petals are valvate (i.e. they meet at the edges without overlapping), white and hairy towards the inside.[3][5][6] They appear from mid-April in the south of its range to July in the north. A. altissima is dioecious, with male and female flowers being borne on different individuals. Male trees produce three to four times as many flowers as the females, making the male flowers more conspicuous. Furthermore, the male plants emit a foul smelling odour while flowering to attract pollinating insects. Female flowers contain ten (or rarely five through abortion) sterile stamens (stamenoides) with heart-shaped anthers. The pistil is made up of five free carpels (i.e. they are not fused), each containing a single ovule. Their styles are united and slender with star-shaped stigmas.[3][5] The male flowers are similar in appearance, but they of course lack a pistil and the stamens do function, each being topped with a globular anther and a glandular green disc.[3] The seeds borne on the female trees are 5 mm in diameter and each is encapsulated in a samara that is 2.5 cm long (1 in) and 1 cm (0.4 in) broad, appearing July though August, but usually persisting on the tree until the next spring. The samara is twisted at the tips, making it spin as it falls and assisting wind dispersal.[2][4] The females can produce huge amounts of seeds, normally around 30,000 per kilogram (14,000/lb) of tree.[2]

[edit]
Taxonomy

The first scientific descriptions of the tree of heaven were made shortly after it was introduced to Europe by the French Jesuit Pierre Nicholas d'Incarville. d'Incarville had sent seeds from Peking via Siberia to his botanist friend Bernard de Jussieu in the 1740s. The seeds sent by d'Incarville were thought to be from the economically important and similar looking Chinese varnish tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum), which he had observed in the lower Yangtze region, rather than the tree of heaven. d'Incarville attached a note indicating this, which caused much taxonomic confusion over the next few decades. In 1751, Jussieu planted a few seeds in France and sent others on to Philip Miller, the superintendent at the Chelsea Physic Garden, and to Philip C. Webb, the owner of an exotic plant garden in Busbridge, England.[3]

Confusion in naming began when the tree was described by all three men with three different names. In Paris, Linnaeus gave the plant the name Rhus succedanea, while it was known commonly as grand vernis du Japon. In London the specimens were named by Miller as Toxicodendron altissima and in Busbridge it was dubbed in the old classification system as Rhus Sinese foliis alatis. There are extant records from the 1750s of disputes over the proper name between Philip Miller and John Ellis, curator of Webb's garden in Busbridge. Rather than the issue being resolved, more names soon appeared for the plant: Jakob Friedrich Ehrhart observed a specimen in Utrecht in 1782 and named it Rhus cacodendron.[3]

Light was shed on the taxonomic status of ailanthus in 1788 when René Louiche Desfontaines observed the samaras of the Paris specimens, which were still labelled Rhus succedanea, and came to the conclusion that the plant was not a sumac. He published an article with an illustrated description and gave it the name Ailanthus glandulosa, placing it in the same genus as the tropical species then known as A. integrifolia (white siris, now A. triphysa). The name is derived from the Ambonese word ailanto, meaning "heaven-tree" or "tree reaching for the sky".[7][3] The specific glandulosa, referring to the glands on the leaves, persisted until as late as 1957, but it was ultimately made invalid as a later homonym at the species level.[3] The current species name comes from Walter T. Swingle who was employed by the United States Department of Plant Industry. He decided to transfer Miller's older specific name into the genus of Desfontaines, resulting in the accepted name Ailanthus altissima.[8] Altissima is Latin for "very tall", and refers to the sizes the tree can reach. The plant is sometimes incorrectly cited with the specific epithet in the masculine (glandulosus or altissimus), which is incorrect since botanical, like Classical Latin, treats most tree names as feminine.

There are three varieties of A. altissima:
A. altissima var. altissima, which is the type variety and is native to mainland China.
A. altissima var. tanakai, which is endemic to northern Taiwan highlands. It differs from the type in having yellowish bark, odd-pinnate leaves that are also shorter on average at 45 to 60 cm (18–24 in) long with only 13-25 scythe-like leaflets.[9][10][11] It is listed as endangered in the IUCN Red List of threatened species due to loss of habitat for building and industrial plantations.[12]
A. altissima var. sutchuenensis, which differs in having red branchlets.[9][10]

Ailanthus Altissima

Ailanthus altissima
 

Tree of Heaven

Large specimen growing in a park in Germany
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Sapindales
Family: Simaroubaceae
Genus: Ailanthus
Species: A. altissima

Binomial name
Ailanthus altissima
(Mill.) Swingle

Ailanthus altissima (pronounced /eɪˈlænθəs ælˈtɪsɪmə/[1]), commonly known as tree of heaven, ailanthus, or in Chinese as chouchun (Chinese: 臭椿; pinyin: chòuchūn), is a deciduous tree in the quassia family (Simaroubaceae). It is native to both Taiwan and northeast and central China. Unlike other members of the genus Ailanthus, it is found in temperate climates rather than the tropics. The tree grows rapidly and is capable of reaching heights of 15 metres (50 ft) in 25 years. However, the species is also short lived and rarely lives more than 50 years. Other common names include China sumac, copal tree, stink tree and ghetto palm.

In China, the tree of heaven has a long and rich history. It was mentioned in the oldest extant Chinese dictionary and listed in countless Chinese medical texts for its purported ability to cure ailments ranging from mental illness to balding. The roots, leaves and bark are still used today in traditional Chinese medicine, primarily as an astringent. The tree has been grown extensively both in China and abroad as a host plant for the ailanthus silkmoth, a moth involved in silk production.

Ailanthus has become a part of western culture as well, with the tree serving as the central metaphor and subject matter of the best-selling American novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. A. altissima was first brought from China to Europe in the 1740s and to the United States in 1784. It was one of the first trees brought west during a time when chinoiserie was dominating European arts, and was initially hailed as a beautiful garden specimen. However, enthusiasm soon waned after gardeners became familiar with its suckering habits and its offensive odour. Despite this, it was used extensively as a street tree during much of the 19th century. Outside of Europe and the United States, the plant has been spread to many other areas beyond its native range. In a number of these, it has become an invasive species due to its ability to quickly colonise disturbed areas and suppress competition with allelopathic chemicals. It is considered a noxious weed in Australia, the United States, New Zealand and several countries in southern and eastern Europe. The tree also re-sprouts vigorously when cut, making its eradication extremely difficult and time consuming.

Ailanthus Altissima

Ailanthus altissima
 

Tree of Heaven

Large specimen growing in a park in Germany
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Sapindales
Family: Simaroubaceae
Genus: Ailanthus
Species: A. altissima

Binomial name
Ailanthus altissima
(Mill.) Swingle


Ailanthus altissima (pronounced /eɪˈlænθəs ælˈtɪsɪmə/[1]), commonly known as tree of heaven, ailanthus, or in Chinese as chouchun (Chinese: 臭椿; pinyin: chòuchūn), is a deciduous tree in the quassia family (Simaroubaceae). It is native to both Taiwan and northeast and central China. Unlike other members of the genus Ailanthus, it is found in temperate climates rather than the tropics. The tree grows rapidly and is capable of reaching heights of 15 metres (50 ft) in 25 years. However, the species is also short lived and rarely lives more than 50 years. Other common names include China sumac, copal tree, stink tree and ghetto palm.

In China, the tree of heaven has a long and rich history. It was mentioned in the oldest extant Chinese dictionary and listed in countless Chinese medical texts for its purported ability to cure ailments ranging from mental illness to balding. The roots, leaves and bark are still used today in traditional Chinese medicine, primarily as an astringent. The tree has been grown extensively both in China and abroad as a host plant for the ailanthus silkmoth, a moth involved in silk production.

Ailanthus has become a part of western culture as well, with the tree serving as the central metaphor and subject matter of the best-selling American novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. A. altissima was first brought from China to Europe in the 1740s and to the United States in 1784. It was one of the first trees brought west during a time when chinoiserie was dominating European arts, and was initially hailed as a beautiful garden specimen. However, enthusiasm soon waned after gardeners became familiar with its suckering habits and its offensive odour. Despite this, it was used extensively as a street tree during much of the 19th century. Outside of Europe and the United States, the plant has been spread to many other areas beyond its native range. In a number of these, it has become an invasive species due to its ability to quickly colonise disturbed areas and suppress competition with allelopathic chemicals. It is considered a noxious weed in Australia, the United States, New Zealand and several countries in southern and eastern Europe. The tree also re-sprouts vigorously when cut, making its eradication extremely difficult and time consuming.