Tree of heaven (αείλανθος)

Description:

Ailanthus (Ailanthus altissima) is a deciduous tree thirty to sixty-five feet high, with gray bark, and generally with root sprouts. Its branches have a large pith and prominent heart-shaped leaf scars. Ailanthus has large compound leaves with several circular glands on the underside of most leaflets. The crushed foliage has an unpleasant odor. Flowers, which are small, greenish, and in large clusters at the branch tips, develop into conspicuous and distinctive clusters of fruits. The dry straw-colored or reddish brown fruits are winged with a single seed in the center, their shape resembling an airplane propeller. These young sprouts were spotted in Demetrias archaeological reserve, Volos city, Greece.