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Weed in Massachusetts: underground roots, skunky smell when bruised

How to deal with invasive Ailanthus (Tree of Heaven)How to prevent regrowth of elm saplings from concrete foundation?What is this long-rooted vine in my yard?What is this purple flowering ground cover?Identification and Removal of Rogue PlantNew construction, horrible lawnPreparation for a new lawn to prevent weeds and encourage growthWhat is this weed with ribbed stems and whorls of 1“ to 2” long thin leaves?Help identifying a weed/unwanted plant that pops up all over and unchecked, grows into a tree!What is this low-growing lawn weed with small white flowers in Massachusetts?

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3

1

We've had our house for a couple of decades, and every time I neglect the back yard (more often than I should) this weed pops up all over the place:

It has a skunky smell when bruised, grows from a single stem, and can get several feet high (perhaps higher). When I pull it up it's always attached to an underground root system that seems like it's coming from somewhere else. I'm guessing these roots are all over the place, and every time I pull up the plants they regrow from the roots.

Any idea what it is, and how I can permanently remove it and its brethren?

Edit: a closeup of the leaves:

Edit 2: a branch and seed pods from a 70' tree overhanging our back yard, in case anyone's interested (it doesn't particularly smell when bruised):

identification weed-control weeds

share|improve this question

edited 8 hours ago

Daniel Griscom

asked 10 hours ago

Daniel GriscomDaniel Griscom

18266 bronze badges

add a comment | 

3

1

We've had our house for a couple of decades, and every time I neglect the back yard (more often than I should) this weed pops up all over the place:

It has a skunky smell when bruised, grows from a single stem, and can get several feet high (perhaps higher). When I pull it up it's always attached to an underground root system that seems like it's coming from somewhere else. I'm guessing these roots are all over the place, and every time I pull up the plants they regrow from the roots.

Any idea what it is, and how I can permanently remove it and its brethren?

Edit: a closeup of the leaves:

Edit 2: a branch and seed pods from a 70' tree overhanging our back yard, in case anyone's interested (it doesn't particularly smell when bruised):

identification weed-control weeds

share|improve this question

edited 8 hours ago

Daniel Griscom

asked 10 hours ago

Daniel GriscomDaniel Griscom

18266 bronze badges

add a comment | 

We've had our house for a couple of decades, and every time I neglect the back yard (more often than I should) this weed pops up all over the place:

It has a skunky smell when bruised, grows from a single stem, and can get several feet high (perhaps higher). When I pull it up it's always attached to an underground root system that seems like it's coming from somewhere else. I'm guessing these roots are all over the place, and every time I pull up the plants they regrow from the roots.

Any idea what it is, and how I can permanently remove it and its brethren?

Edit: a closeup of the leaves:

Edit 2: a branch and seed pods from a 70' tree overhanging our back yard, in case anyone's interested (it doesn't particularly smell when bruised):

identification weed-control weeds

share|improve this question

edited 8 hours ago

Daniel Griscom

asked 10 hours ago

Daniel GriscomDaniel Griscom

18266 bronze badges

share|improve this question

edited 8 hours ago

Daniel Griscom

asked 10 hours ago

Daniel GriscomDaniel Griscom

18266 bronze badges

share|improve this question

edited 8 hours ago

Daniel Griscom

asked 10 hours ago

Daniel GriscomDaniel Griscom

18266 bronze badges

asked 10 hours ago

Daniel GriscomDaniel Griscom

18266 bronze badges

asked 10 hours ago

Daniel GriscomDaniel Griscom

18266 bronze badges

1 Answer
1

active

oldest

votes

3

Maybe I am "projecting" here (because your photo could obviously be a lot of things), but this looks a lot like what we have in our yard (California, but I have seen this on the East Coast too).

The way you mention that it smells when bruised, and that it will get several feet high - maybe higher, reminds me of "Paradise Tree", sometimes called "Tree-of-Heaven" (!), "&*!!@ Peanut-Butter Tree", or Ailanthus altissima. Here is a picture of it from the website of Van den Berk Nurseries:

Here's its entry in the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States. And, here's an evocatively titled article on it called "Tree of Heaven: A Devil In Disguise."

It's horrible. It grows about a foot a month (or faster!), eventually becoming an enormous tall tree. Also, yes to the underground roots.

Don't know how to eradicate it, but check into whether this is it, and good luck.

My current strategy is to try to stay on top of new arrivals of this pest ASAP. It is surprisingly easy for seedlings up to maybe almost 1/2 inch diameter, to just yank them out by the root.

Also since the tree grows so fast, as blacksmith37 notes in his comment, the wood is super soft, & I am able to pretty quickly cut off little trees up to 2-3 inches diam. with a hand saw and afterward paint thoroughly with "Vine and Stump Killer". (No, I am not selling this product, and it may not even be necessary, but I used it thinking it might help.) This is a photo of one of the stumps, somewhere between 1 and 3 yrs. after I chopped & painted it. Notice it doesn't seem to be re-sprouting, and it's not due to lack of water. Drought doesn't bother these guys.

share|improve this answer

edited 4 hours ago

answered 9 hours ago

Lorel C.Lorel C.

3,44111 gold badge88 silver badges2020 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Thanks. What other info should I post for better identification? (Is there a Meta Q&A about "how to ask for plant IDs"?)
  
  – Daniel Griscom
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Multiple photos (different angles, parts of the plant, and stages of growth) can be helpful.
  
  – Lorel C.
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  And we have a winner. Looking at the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States (added link to your answer), it mentioned a "glandular notch at the base of the leaflets." I went back, and yup. (Added a picture, too.)
  
  – Daniel Griscom
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I happened to look up in my back yard, and there's this overhanging 70' tree with leaves that look just like my original weeds. I added a picture of a branch to my Q; is this the same thing? (If so, makes "eradication" a bit more involved...)
  
  – Daniel Griscom
  8 hours ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Absolutely the same (recognize the seeds). Ours also spawned by a humongous specimen in a neighboring yard. Pretty sure that 1 way they spread is by the copious crop of seeds they put out every yr. Recently I called a pro to chop some bigger ones in our yard, and vowed to try to keep ahead of them in future. I have been digging up small trees when I first see them emerge, and I notice in the vicinity of the big neighbor tree when I dig up a baby sprout it sometimes seems to be coming out of an already-huge root. This makes me think A altissimus also propagates by underground means: wicked.
  
  – Lorel C.
  5 hours ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 1 more comment

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3

Maybe I am "projecting" here (because your photo could obviously be a lot of things), but this looks a lot like what we have in our yard (California, but I have seen this on the East Coast too).

The way you mention that it smells when bruised, and that it will get several feet high - maybe higher, reminds me of "Paradise Tree", sometimes called "Tree-of-Heaven" (!), "&*!!@ Peanut-Butter Tree", or Ailanthus altissima. Here is a picture of it from the website of Van den Berk Nurseries:

Here's its entry in the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States. And, here's an evocatively titled article on it called "Tree of Heaven: A Devil In Disguise."

It's horrible. It grows about a foot a month (or faster!), eventually becoming an enormous tall tree. Also, yes to the underground roots.

Don't know how to eradicate it, but check into whether this is it, and good luck.

My current strategy is to try to stay on top of new arrivals of this pest ASAP. It is surprisingly easy for seedlings up to maybe almost 1/2 inch diameter, to just yank them out by the root.

Also since the tree grows so fast, as blacksmith37 notes in his comment, the wood is super soft, & I am able to pretty quickly cut off little trees up to 2-3 inches diam. with a hand saw and afterward paint thoroughly with "Vine and Stump Killer". (No, I am not selling this product, and it may not even be necessary, but I used it thinking it might help.) This is a photo of one of the stumps, somewhere between 1 and 3 yrs. after I chopped & painted it. Notice it doesn't seem to be re-sprouting, and it's not due to lack of water. Drought doesn't bother these guys.

share|improve this answer

edited 4 hours ago

answered 9 hours ago

Lorel C.Lorel C.

3,44111 gold badge88 silver badges2020 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Thanks. What other info should I post for better identification? (Is there a Meta Q&A about "how to ask for plant IDs"?)
  
  – Daniel Griscom
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Multiple photos (different angles, parts of the plant, and stages of growth) can be helpful.
  
  – Lorel C.
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  And we have a winner. Looking at the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States (added link to your answer), it mentioned a "glandular notch at the base of the leaflets." I went back, and yup. (Added a picture, too.)
  
  – Daniel Griscom
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I happened to look up in my back yard, and there's this overhanging 70' tree with leaves that look just like my original weeds. I added a picture of a branch to my Q; is this the same thing? (If so, makes "eradication" a bit more involved...)
  
  – Daniel Griscom
  8 hours ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Absolutely the same (recognize the seeds). Ours also spawned by a humongous specimen in a neighboring yard. Pretty sure that 1 way they spread is by the copious crop of seeds they put out every yr. Recently I called a pro to chop some bigger ones in our yard, and vowed to try to keep ahead of them in future. I have been digging up small trees when I first see them emerge, and I notice in the vicinity of the big neighbor tree when I dig up a baby sprout it sometimes seems to be coming out of an already-huge root. This makes me think A altissimus also propagates by underground means: wicked.
  
  – Lorel C.
  5 hours ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 1 more comment

3

Maybe I am "projecting" here (because your photo could obviously be a lot of things), but this looks a lot like what we have in our yard (California, but I have seen this on the East Coast too).

The way you mention that it smells when bruised, and that it will get several feet high - maybe higher, reminds me of "Paradise Tree", sometimes called "Tree-of-Heaven" (!), "&*!!@ Peanut-Butter Tree", or Ailanthus altissima. Here is a picture of it from the website of Van den Berk Nurseries:

Here's its entry in the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States. And, here's an evocatively titled article on it called "Tree of Heaven: A Devil In Disguise."

It's horrible. It grows about a foot a month (or faster!), eventually becoming an enormous tall tree. Also, yes to the underground roots.

Don't know how to eradicate it, but check into whether this is it, and good luck.

My current strategy is to try to stay on top of new arrivals of this pest ASAP. It is surprisingly easy for seedlings up to maybe almost 1/2 inch diameter, to just yank them out by the root.

Also since the tree grows so fast, as blacksmith37 notes in his comment, the wood is super soft, & I am able to pretty quickly cut off little trees up to 2-3 inches diam. with a hand saw and afterward paint thoroughly with "Vine and Stump Killer". (No, I am not selling this product, and it may not even be necessary, but I used it thinking it might help.) This is a photo of one of the stumps, somewhere between 1 and 3 yrs. after I chopped & painted it. Notice it doesn't seem to be re-sprouting, and it's not due to lack of water. Drought doesn't bother these guys.

share|improve this answer

edited 4 hours ago

answered 9 hours ago

Lorel C.Lorel C.

3,44111 gold badge88 silver badges2020 bronze badges

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Thanks. What other info should I post for better identification? (Is there a Meta Q&A about "how to ask for plant IDs"?)
  
  – Daniel Griscom
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Multiple photos (different angles, parts of the plant, and stages of growth) can be helpful.
  
  – Lorel C.
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  And we have a winner. Looking at the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States (added link to your answer), it mentioned a "glandular notch at the base of the leaflets." I went back, and yup. (Added a picture, too.)
  
  – Daniel Griscom
  9 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I happened to look up in my back yard, and there's this overhanging 70' tree with leaves that look just like my original weeds. I added a picture of a branch to my Q; is this the same thing? (If so, makes "eradication" a bit more involved...)
  
  – Daniel Griscom
  8 hours ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  2
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  Absolutely the same (recognize the seeds). Ours also spawned by a humongous specimen in a neighboring yard. Pretty sure that 1 way they spread is by the copious crop of seeds they put out every yr. Recently I called a pro to chop some bigger ones in our yard, and vowed to try to keep ahead of them in future. I have been digging up small trees when I first see them emerge, and I notice in the vicinity of the big neighbor tree when I dig up a baby sprout it sometimes seems to be coming out of an already-huge root. This makes me think A altissimus also propagates by underground means: wicked.
  
  – Lorel C.
  5 hours ago
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

 | 
show 1 more comment

Maybe I am "projecting" here (because your photo could obviously be a lot of things), but this looks a lot like what we have in our yard (California, but I have seen this on the East Coast too).

The way you mention that it smells when bruised, and that it will get several feet high - maybe higher, reminds me of "Paradise Tree", sometimes called "Tree-of-Heaven" (!), "&*!!@ Peanut-Butter Tree", or Ailanthus altissima. Here is a picture of it from the website of Van den Berk Nurseries:

Here's its entry in the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States. And, here's an evocatively titled article on it called "Tree of Heaven: A Devil In Disguise."

It's horrible. It grows about a foot a month (or faster!), eventually becoming an enormous tall tree. Also, yes to the underground roots.

Don't know how to eradicate it, but check into whether this is it, and good luck.

My current strategy is to try to stay on top of new arrivals of this pest ASAP. It is surprisingly easy for seedlings up to maybe almost 1/2 inch diameter, to just yank them out by the root.

Also since the tree grows so fast, as blacksmith37 notes in his comment, the wood is super soft, & I am able to pretty quickly cut off little trees up to 2-3 inches diam. with a hand saw and afterward paint thoroughly with "Vine and Stump Killer". (No, I am not selling this product, and it may not even be necessary, but I used it thinking it might help.) This is a photo of one of the stumps, somewhere between 1 and 3 yrs. after I chopped & painted it. Notice it doesn't seem to be re-sprouting, and it's not due to lack of water. Drought doesn't bother these guys.

share|improve this answer

edited 4 hours ago

answered 9 hours ago

Lorel C.Lorel C.

3,44111 gold badge88 silver badges2020 bronze badges

share|improve this answer

edited 4 hours ago

answered 9 hours ago

Lorel C.Lorel C.

3,44111 gold badge88 silver badges2020 bronze badges

answered 9 hours ago

Lorel C.Lorel C.

3,44111 gold badge88 silver badges2020 bronze badges

answered 9 hours ago

Lorel C.Lorel C.

3,44111 gold badge88 silver badges2020 bronze badges