Maharukh ( Ailanthus excelsa)

The similarities between the neem tree and this massive, fast-growing, Mahaneem or Maharukh, don’t end with their names alone. The leaves of this tree with toothed leaflets, which are arranged in beautiful whorls, are also neem-like in appearance but much larger in size. They are used as fodder for sheep and goats. The leaves and the bark both have medicinal properties. This tree has tiny greenish-white male and female flowers, which are mostly borne on separate trees. Thin and flat single-seeded pods, pointed at both ends grow in bunches from female trees.