What does Tree-of-heaven look like?
Tree-of-heaven has smooth gray bark that becomes rough and fissured with age. It has very stout twigs, and compound leaves. All parts of the tree-of-heaven have a strong disagreeable odor; especially the male flowers, crushed leaves, and cut or bruised stems. Many people confuse tree-of-heaven with the native species walnut and sumac. Both walnut and sumac have saw-toothed leaflets while the leaflets of tree of heave are smooth-edged with the exception of a few small teeth near the base. A small gland bump is present at the tip of each tooth on the underside of the leaflet. This gland is an identifying characteristic that distinguishes the tree-of-heaven from sumac and walnut. The female tree-of-heaven can be identified by clusters of bright red papery seeds which form in late summer and early fall and turn brown and hang on the trees over winter. Sumacs have upright clusters of red berry-like seeds. These bright red seed heads are a stark contrast to the wind-dispersed papery seeds of
