Sumac?

Am I seeing things?

Ailanthus. Tree of hell...erm...heaven.

Dan

Someone needs to make a sterile male clone of this tree so it can be safely used in landscapes.

I love that
gothic house! Is it an abandoned house or really a friends? It looks like they're growing in the house sort of. I thought it was Sumac or is that the same thing? If they are growing in debris in a crack they must grow anywhere.

It is Tree of Heaven. It is high invasive in many parts due to it's prolific seeding.

I tried to take a closer look, but still couldn't see if the trunks are growing from mortar joins or what. I've seen plenty of trees growing from gutters and so forth. I don't think I've ever seen a tree growing from a solid brick or stone wall of a house before.

Oh, BTW, how do we know it's Ailanthus altissima (although it probably is) when we can't clearly make out hardly any detail and don't know where the picture was taken?

Whatever that is on the other side is something else, but I can't tell much about it either.

Mine weren't so perfect last year, ailanthus webworm made it practically my only species of tree that was defoliated.

That looks like Paulownia growing out on the left side.

Where was this picture taken (city/state)?

On the upper left we see Empress Tree, Paulownia tomentosa.
Pic is from inner city Baltimore.
Are we agreed, roots of these trees extract all moisture and nutrients from a masonry wall? Trees are completely exposed in Winter, no contact with the ground, only first floor of building is heated.
Suppose such traits could be somehow genetically passed on to desirable species such as apple, fig, or hy T rose.

I saw a Paulownia - though not quite as well-branched as the one in the photo, growing out of a crack in the concrete block wall of an occupied commercial building, about 12 ft up from sidewalk level, in downtown Danville, KY several years ago.
Heading back up that way in 3-4 weeks, plan to seek it out to see if it's still there, and if so, how much it's grown in the intervening 5-6 years.

I went back today.

It's amazing how a tree can manage to have such lush and healthy foliage growing out from between two bricks in a wall

Needless to say, those are tough trees, whether you like them or not.

The roots are probably feeding off rotting wood behind the brick

Crazy how we try and plant things so perfectly, follow these documents and right ups. Are so afraid of root flare, planting to deep...when to water....when to fertilize....screen them...etc etc. Then you have trees growing out of stone.

Reminds me at my house...I built a pretty elaborate raised vegetable bed. Spent about 1k on lumber, and dirt....added proper amendments, etc....

Behind my house their is a field...right in the middle of the field on top of some compost and rocks is a beautiful squash plant. It's like...really?

I agree about how these trees are growing so well in places you would think they could'nt do so well, but, my question is, "who would just let that Castle looking building go to the point where trees could grow in the cracks of it?" Sam md, what is the place anyway? I know this forum is about the trees, but, really, what is that place, or what was that place? Just so curious.

Epiphytes.

If the setting would've been in a semi tropical or Tropical place, I'm sure we'd have seen many plants like the Ficus genus of trees and many other wild jungle like plants taking over.