pharmacognostical Study of Ailanthus Altissima Swingle( Family Simaroubaceae) Cultivated in Egypt

This work deals with the macro- and micromorpliology of the leaves. stem, and stem—hark of-Ailanthus altissima/na Swingle.The Leaf Macrom The leaves of Swingle are alternate, pan— or imparipinnately compound, exstipulate. reach up to X5 cm. long carrying ovate to ovate lanceolate petiolafe leaflets which are usually truncate at the base with 2-4 coarse teeth near the base. Each leaflet has entire margin. asymmetric base and acuminate apex with dark green upper surface and pale green lower one. The petiole is short and cylindrical. The leaf has unpleasant odour and slight hitter taste.<Micromorpho1oj’ The Leaflet A transverse section in the leaflet shows a dorsiventral structure with an upper palisade formed of one row of columnar cells. The midrib region shows an upper and lower epidermises, cortical tissue and vascular bundles consists of xylem and phloem and surrounded by a mass of pericyclic fibers. In the young leaflet another vascular bundle is present above the main bLindle, which in the older leaflets start to enlarge in the xylem region giving two bundles.The EpidermisThe upper epidermal cells are tbrmed ot polygonal cells with straight anticlinal walls covered with heavy striaed cuticle. The stomata are not observed.The lower epidermal cells are smaller. In the young leaflets they have wavy anticlinal walls and covered with smooth cuticle. In the old leaflets they have nearly straight anticlinal walls and covered with striated cuticle. Anomocytic stomata are lresei1t in the lower epidermis of the young and the old leafletsGlandular and non-glandular hairs are present on the upper and the lower epidermises. The glandular hairs have uniseriate multicellular stalks (2-3 cells) and multicellular heads (9 to 13 cells). The non-glandular hairs are unicellular or uniseriate multicellular covered with slightly striated cuticle