Host Plant Identification

FIND THETOH

Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is the #1 food source and preferred host of spotted lanternfly. Identifying and eliminating it is the single most effective long-term strategy for reducing SLF pressure on your property.

Key fact: Spotted lanternfly can feed on over 70 plant species, but SLF populations collapse when Tree of Heaven is removed from an area. TOH removal is the most impactful single action a property owner can take.

Why Finding TOH Matters

Tree of Heaven is the primary host of spotted lanternfly — not just a food source, but the tree where SLF preferentially lays eggs, molts, aggregates, and completes its life cycle.

Preferred Egg Site

SLF lays egg masses preferentially on Tree of Heaven bark. A single infested TOH can host dozens of egg masses, each containing 30–50 eggs. Removing or treating the tree eliminates this reproductive hub.

Primary Feeding Host

Adult SLF congregate on TOH in late summer and fall for feeding frenzies before laying eggs. A single TOH can attract hundreds of adults from surrounding properties — your tree becomes everyone's problem.

Invasive Itself

TOH is invasive throughout the eastern US. It displaces native vegetation, produces allelopathic chemicals that suppress other plants, and grows aggressively in disturbed areas. Removing it benefits native ecosystems beyond just SLF control.

5 Key Identification Features

Use these features in combination — especially the gland-tipped teeth and the smell — to confirm you're looking at Tree of Heaven and not a look-alike.

Compound Leaves

11–25 leaflets per stem, alternate attachment

Tree of Heaven has large compound leaves — each leaf is actually a stem bearing 11 to 25 individual leaflets arranged in opposite pairs along the midrib, with a single leaflet at the tip. The overall leaf can reach 1–4 feet in length. Leaves attach to the twig in an alternate pattern (not opposite each other). In summer, the tree has a tropical, almost palm-like appearance from below.

Field tip: Count the leaflets — fewer than 11 or more than 25 on a full-grown leaf is a sign you may be looking at a look-alike.

Gland-Tipped Teeth

The most reliable identification mark

At the base of each leaflet — not along the edge, but right at the base — you will find one or two small notched lobes. Each lobe has a tiny dark gland at its tip. This feature is unique to Tree of Heaven among common look-alikes. The glands appear as small dark dots at the tip of the basal teeth. Look for them on the underside of the leaflet base. Once you've seen this feature, you'll recognize it instantly.

Field tip: Use your phone camera to zoom in on the leaflet base. The glands appear as dark pinpoints at the tip of the small lobes.

Bark and Smell

Smooth gray bark; peanut-butter-gone-bad smell when crushed

Young Tree of Heaven bark is smooth and gray to brownish-gray with faint lighter streaks — sometimes described as resembling the skin of a cantaloupe. Older trees develop shallower, irregular furrows. Crush a leaf or break a small twig and smell it immediately. Tree of Heaven has a distinctive, unpleasant odor often described as rancid peanut butter, burnt rubber, or cat urine. This smell is diagnostic — none of the common look-alikes share it.

Field tip: The smell is strongest when leaves are crushed while still on the tree. Dried or fallen leaves have a weaker odor.

Seed Clusters (Samaras)

Green, red, and tan helicopter-style clusters

Female Tree of Heaven trees produce large, drooping clusters of winged seeds called samaras from mid-summer through fall. Each samara is a thin, papery wing with a single seed in the center — the seed twists as it falls, like a helicopter. Clusters can contain hundreds of samaras. They are green in early summer, turn red or pink in mid-summer, and dry to tan/straw by fall. A single mature female tree can produce 300,000+ seeds per year.

Field tip: Seed clusters are highly visible in late summer — look for reddish-tan cascading clusters from a distance.

Winter Silhouette

Large leaf scars, alternate branching, stout twigs

In winter, TOH is identifiable by its stout, velvety-surfaced twigs and very large, heart-shaped leaf scars — these are the marks left where the compound leaves attached. The scars are U-shaped or heart-shaped with a ring of small dots (vascular bundle scars) arranged in a distinctive arc. Branches are alternate, not opposite. The overall silhouette is upright with an irregular crown and a tendency to fork low. Stout, blunt twigs that feel slightly fuzzy to the touch are characteristic.

Field tip: Leaf scars are large enough to see from a few feet away. Look for the U-shaped scar with the arc of bundle dots inside.

Common Look-alikes

Several native trees share compound leaves with Tree of Heaven. Learn these differences to avoid removing valuable native species.

Staghorn Sumac

Benign native — do not remove

How to tell apart: Fuzzy stems and branches — like velvet antlers. Leaflets have toothed margins along their full length, not just at the base. Red berry clusters (not winged seeds). No gland-tipped teeth at leaflet base.

Black Walnut

Valuable native — do not remove

How to tell apart: Leaflets are narrower and taper to a distinct point. Leaflet margins have fine teeth along the entire edge. Produces round green husked walnuts, not samaras. Leaves have a distinctive walnut smell when crushed.

Elderberry

Beneficial native shrub

How to tell apart: Branches in opposite pairs — TOH branches are alternate. Fewer leaflets (5–11) with more coarsely toothed margins. Produces clusters of small dark berries. Hollow or pithy stems.

Black Locust

Naturalized — invasive in some areas

How to tell apart: Has paired spines at each leaf node. Leaflets are more rounded and oval. White fragrant flower clusters in spring. No gland-tipped teeth. Deeply furrowed dark bark even when young.

When in doubt: Check for the gland-tipped teeth at the leaflet base and crush a leaf to smell it. These two features together confirm Tree of Heaven with high confidence. If you're still uncertain, use the iNaturalist app for a community ID confirmation before removing any tree.

Where TOH Grows

Tree of Heaven thrives in disturbed, sunny areas. Know where to look on and around your property.

Roadsides

Highway medians, road shoulders, and the edges of paved surfaces are prime TOH habitat. Compacted, disturbed soil with full sun is ideal.

Railroad Corridors

Railroad rights-of-way are some of the most TOH-dense habitats in the eastern US. Rails and tracks distribute seeds across the landscape.

Construction Sites

Disturbed soil from construction attracts TOH as one of the first woody plants to colonize. Check along property edges adjacent to recent development.

Stream Edges

TOH establishes readily along stream banks where periodic flooding disturbs soil. This location also puts it near water, complicating treatment choices.

Urban Vacant Lots

TOH can grow through cracks in pavement and establish in compacted urban soils where other trees struggle. Common in alleys, parking edges, and vacant properties.

Forest Edges

TOH invades along the sunny edges of woodlands, especially after disturbance. It can eventually shade out native forest understory plants.

Submit a TOH Sighting

Found a Tree of Heaven? Submit the location through the Lanternfly Watch map to help track TOH density and SLF pressure in your area. Community-reported TOH locations help researchers and extension agents identify high-risk corridors for targeted intervention.

Submit TOH Location →TOH Removal Guide →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most reliable way to identify Tree of Heaven?

The most reliable identification feature is the gland-tipped teeth at the base of each leaflet. Each leaflet has one or two notched teeth near its base, and each tooth has a small dark gland at its tip. No other common look-alike has this exact feature. Crush a leaf — the distinctive peanut-butter-gone-bad smell is a reliable confirmation.

How is Tree of Heaven different from sumac?

Sumac and Tree of Heaven both have compound leaves with multiple leaflets per stem, but differ in key ways. Sumac leaflets have toothed or serrated margins along their entire edge — Tree of Heaven leaflets have smooth margins except for the gland-tipped teeth at the very base. Sumac also typically grows as a smaller shrub or small tree with fuzzy stems (staghorn sumac) and has distinctive red berry clusters. Tree of Heaven grows much taller and has smooth bark when young.

Where does Tree of Heaven grow?

Tree of Heaven thrives in disturbed areas — roadsides, highway medians, railroad rights-of-way, vacant lots, construction sites, and the edges of parking lots. It is a prolific sprouter and will emerge from cracks in pavement and along fence lines. It also appears at forest edges and stream banks. Anywhere with disturbed soil and full sun is potential habitat.

Do I need to remove every Tree of Heaven on my property?

Removing TOH is strongly recommended as it directly reduces available SLF habitat and feeding sites. However, removal must be done correctly — cutting without treatment causes vigorous resprouting. See the TOH Removal Guide for cut-stump and basal bark treatment methods. If removal isn't immediately feasible, trunk injection can kill the tree over time while also protecting it from SLF use.

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