Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle, tree of heaven, is an exotic tree introduced as a horticultural tree in Europe and America in 18th Century. Now it is aggressively invading ecosystems. This study was aimed to estimate phytotoxic potential of essential oils (EOs) from fourteen industrial, aromatic and medicinal crops, such as Thymus sp., Pinus sp., Origanum sp. etc. against this invasive species. The phytotoxic potential was assessed through three different doses of EOs by a germination bioassay and the effects on seedling growth. Analysis of seedling growth revealed that seven EOs (Petasites hybridus, Thymus serpyllum, Thymus vulgaris, Rosmarinus officinalis, Helichrysum italicum, Matricaria chamomilla, Origanum vulgare) exhibit high phytotoxic effect resulting in 95–100% seedling mortality. Moreover, detailed GC-MS analysis of these oils showed that they are mostly comprised either of oxygenated monoterpenes or sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, which are already known as compounds with allelopathic effects. Presented results indicate these essential oils might be used as natural herbicides by foliar application of oils on young plants of Ailanthus altissima.

臭椿（穆勒）欢乐之，臭椿，是引入18世纪的欧洲和美国园艺树的异国情调的树。现在，它正积极入侵生态系统。这项研究的目的是估计来自14种工业，芳香和药用作物（如胸腺，松树，牛至）的精油的植物毒性潜力。等针对这种入侵物种。通过发芽生物测定法通过三种不同剂量的EO评估植物毒性潜力，以及对幼苗生长的影响。对幼苗生长的分析表明，七个EOs（Petasites hybridus，百里香胸腺，百里香，迷迭香，蜡菊，母菊，牛至）表现出很高的植物毒性作用，导致95-100％的幼苗死亡。此外，对这些油的详细GC-MS分析表明，它们主要由含氧的单萜或倍半萜碳氢化合物组成，这些化合物已被称为具有化感作用的化合物。目前的结果表明，通过在臭椿（Ailanthus altissima）的年轻植物上叶面喷油可以将这些精油用作天然除草剂。