3
Ailanthus triphysa (Dennst.)
Alston
Synonym : Ailanthus malabarica DC.
Family
: Simaroubaceae
Local Names
: Mattipala, Perumaram, Maharukh
Flowering and
fruiting period:
January – May
Distribution: Indo-Malaysia and Australia
Habitat: Semi-evergreen forests, also planted in the plains
IUCN status: Data deficient
Endemic: No
Uses: Dye yielding, bowl carving, resin used as incense,
exudates is useful in making medicine, varnishes
Key Characters: Lofty deciduous trees, to 30 m high, bark
grey, smooth. Leaves imparipinnate, alternate, crowded towards the apex of
branches; leaflets opposite; lamina oblong-ovate, margin entire. Flowers
polygamous, greenish-yellow, in axillary panicles; male flowers: sepal 5,
ovate, imbricate; petals 5, valvate; disc 10-lobed; stamens 10; bisexual
flowers: sepals and petals as in male flowers; stamens 2 or 3; ovary 5,
superior. Fruit a samara, reddish-brown with rounded ends.
