AILANTHUS (more correctly ailantus, from ailanto, an

See also:

• AMBOYNA (Dutch Ambon)

Amboyna word probably meaning "

See also:

• TREE (0. Eng. treo, treow, cf. Dan. tree, Swed. Odd, tree, trd, timber; allied forms are found in Russ. drevo, Gr. opus, oak, and 36pv, spear, Welsh derw, Irish darog, oak, and Skr. dare, wood)
• TREE, SIR HERBERT BEERBOHM (1853- )

Tree of the Gods," or " Tree of

See also:

• HEAVEN (0. Eng. hefen, heofon, heofone; this word appears in O.S. hevan; the High. Ger. word appears in Ger. Himmel, Dutch hemel; there does not seem to be any connexion between the two words, and the ultimate derivation of the word is unknown; the sugges

Heaven ")  , a genus of trees belonging to the natural order Simarubaceae . The best known species, A. glandulosa, Chinese sumach or tree of heaven, is a handsome, quick-growing tree with spreading branches and large compound leaves, resembling those of the ash, and bearing numerous pairs of long pointed leaflets . The small greenish flowers are borne on branched panicles; and the male ones are characterized by having a disgusting odour . The fruits are free in clusters, and each is drawn out into a long wing with the seed in the middle . The wood is fine grained and satiny . The tree, which is a native of China and Japan, was introduced into England in 1751 and is a favourite in parks and gardens . A silk spinning moth, the ailanthus moth (Bombyx or Philosamia cynthia), lives on its leaves, and yields a silk more durable and cheaper than mulberry silk, but inferior to it in fineness and gloss . This moth is common near many towns in the eastern United States; it is about 5 in. across, with angulated wings, and in colour olive brown, with white markings . Other species of ailanthus are: A. imberbiflora and A. punctata, important Australian timber-trees; and A. excelsa, common in India .