Form: Medium sized reaching 50 - 80 ft. in height and 1 - 2 ft. in dbh. Also has a rounded spreading crown.

Leaves:
             

Arrangement: alternate; pinnately compound; 11-41 leaflets

Shape: Ovate - lanceolate

Margin: Entire except lobed/glandular toothed at base

Texture: Glabrous

Venation: Pinnate

Bark: Thin, gray, and smooth. Inner bark is bitter

Twigs and buds: Twigs are stout and light brown. Lacks terminal buds.

Flowers and fruit: Flower are staminate and greenish yellow. Fruit is a samara.

Distinguishing characteristics: Smell for the burnt peanut butter scent. It's rachis and petiole are pubescent and it has a large compound leaf.

Range: Native of China. Introduced in the 1780's and is now found almost throughout the entire lower 48 states.

Silvics: It is shade intolerant and grows on dry uplands and poor sterile sites.

Ecological and cultural importance: It is resistant to air pollution; native to China and planted in eastern US 1784; bark extract used as a tonic. Very invasive forming impenetrable thickets in open sunny area. A prolific seeder and tends to be allelopathic.