Imported from Asia, this plant has spread (usually in an unwelcome fashion–considered invasive in Illinois) through most eastern, some midwestern and a few western states in the U.S. When you know the name of this plant, post a comment with its common name, scientific name and any personal story you’d like to share about this plant.
New growth in spring
Young shoot -- bark of older plant in background
Flowering branches on left; leaf branches on right
Flowers
Plant with flowers and developing fruits
Growth habit
Fruits and leaves
Fruit (seed pods)
It looks like Ailanthus altissima or tree of heaven. The leaflets have 2 small asymmetrical lobes at the base and distinctive samaras. Now in British Columbia too. Your photos are excellent. Thanks for the exercises. Great fun!
Eva, nice try — but “no.” Actually, Ailanthus altissima was the featured plant as Mystery Plant 008. If you look at that post, you can see the difference between the seed pods of Tree-of-heaven and this mystery plant.
There is another blog post comparing Ailanthus altissima with a “looks similar” plant. You can find both posts by searching on “ailanthus” in the search box.
This looks like a golden raintree, Koelreuteria paniculata. Discovered my first one this year because of the seed pods.
Hurrah, Kari! You are correct. This is Goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata). This plant was a tricky one for me to figure out when I first saw it. In fact, it took nearly a year of watching it through the seasons — plus some serendipity — to find its name.
Me too! I guess I just assumed it was a chinaberry until the seed pods showed up. I found it on a popular hike and bike trail on Lady Bird Lake here in Austin. Love the mystery plant challenge; keep ‘em coming!