AILANTHUS EXCELSA Roxb.

Etymology:	Ailanto is the local name used in Moluccas, meaning sky tree, commonly known as Tree of Heaven.
Botanical name:	Ailanthus excelsa Roxb.
Local/Trade names:	Maharukh, Tree of Heaven, Coromandel Ailanto, Ardu, Arua, Ulloo
Conservation status:	Commonly planted.
Digonestic features:	Leaves odd pinnate, unequal at base; fruit a samara.
Description:	Tall tree, upto 15-20 m high. Bark whitish; branchlets with persisent leaf scars. Leaves odd pinnate 30 x 15 cm; leaflets 8-14 pairs, oblong lanceolate, unequal at base, margin irregularly toothed. Flowers in panicles axillary or terminal. Fruit a samara, linear, oblong to lanceolate, 2.5 x 1 cm, prominently nerved one seeded.
Phenology:	Fls.: Feb.-March. Frts.: May-June.
Distribution:	Bihar, Central Provinces, Gujarat, Deccan and Andhra Pradesh.
Where to see it:	Gate No. 2 side.
Uses:	Wood used for catamarans and small boats; also used for veneers and plywood packing-cases, sword-handles, toys, and poor quality matches. Bark anthelmintic, febrifuge, expectorant and antispasmodic used for asthma and bronchitis, also for dysentery; said to be good substitude for kurchi bark ( Holarrhena pubescens)contains several quassinoides. Root bark yields alkaloids. Trees yield inferior quality Bassora or Hog gum and serves as a host for ‘Eri’ silkworms. Leaves and shoots used as fodder