Indian tree of heaven (Ailanthus excelsa)

Ailanthus excelsa, maharukh or ardu, is a tall, fast-growing tree of India’s dry plains, planted around villages and fields for shade, fodder and soft timber. In Rajasthan and Gujarat its leaves are lopped to feed goats in the dry season. Its wood is light and white, and it goes into matchsticks, packing cases and catamarans.

Botanical name: Ailanthus excelsa Roxb.
Family: Simaroubaceae
Tamil: Peeyamaram
Hindi: Maharukh
Parts used: None as food
Habit: Pinnate Simaroubaceae; vembu is a shop word
Last updated: 2026-10-25

How to recognise Indian tree of heaven

The leaves are very large and pinnate, up to a metre long, with many toothed, lopsided leaflets. They are often confused with neem at a distance.

Crushed leaves and flowers have a strong, unpleasant smell, which explains the Tamil name peeyamaram.

Small greenish-yellow flowers come in large sprays. The fruit is a flat, twisted, reddish winged samara, carried in clusters that glow coppery in sunlight.

Neem, Azadirachta indica, has smaller, narrow, curved leaflets and round yellow berries instead of winged fruit.

Traditional use of Indian tree of heaven

Pastoral and farm use

Farmers in western India grow it on field boundaries and lop the branches for fodder, valued because it stays green in drought.

Rajasthan and Gujarat farm practice

Timber

The soft, light wood is used for matchwood, packing boxes, fishing floats and catamaran hulls in coastal Tamil Nadu.

Indian timber use

Modern notes on Indian tree of heaven

Foresters recommend it for dryland agroforestry because it grows quickly on poor soil and coppices well.

Its bark contains bitter quassinoids, typical of its family, and laboratory papers describe them. There is no clinical evidence for medicinal use.

Indian tree of heaven safety

There is no established human food use. Do not take bark preparations.

Ecology and sourcing

It is native to India and Sri Lanka and thrives in arid and semi-arid regions with hot summers.

Its winged seeds spread on the wind, and it regenerates readily around villages.

Related plants

Questions about Indian tree of heaven

Is Indian tree of heaven neem?

No. Neem has narrower leaflets and berries; this tree has winged fruit.

Is Indian tree of heaven the tree of heaven of Europe?

No. That invasive tree is Ailanthus altissima from China.

What is the Hindi name of Ailanthus excelsa?

Maharukh, also ardu.

Sources

Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.