Ailanthus grows best in loamy, moist soils but tolerates a wide  range of textures, stoniness, and pH. On the dry end of the  moisture spectrum it is drought hardy, and on the wet end it  cannot tolerate flooding. The species is widely recognized by the  urban populace since it frequently occupies and covers untended  areas in cities. The species' tolerance of harsh sites led to  testing for strip mine reclamation; a study in eastern Kentucky  found ailanthus better adapted to acid spoil than to calcareous  spoil and capable of growing on spoils with low to moderate  phosphorus (17). Soils on which ailanthus is most  commonly found are within the orders Ultisols, Inceptisols, and  Entisols.