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Melia azedarach
Also called Chinaberry, China-Berry, Texas umbrella tree, Chinaberry tree, Indian lilac, Lelah, Paraiso
Chinaberry (Melia azedarach) is a fast-growing, deciduous tree in the mahogany family, native to Asia and Australia and widely planted as an ornamental. It tolerates a wide range of conditions and is a short-lived tree, averaging about 20 years.
Melia azedarach, commonly known as the chinaberry tree, pride of India, bead-tree, Cape lilac, syringa berrytree, Persian lilac, Indian lilac, or white cedar, is a species of deciduous tree in the mahogany family, Meliaceae, that is native to Indomalaya and Australasia.
The fruits have evolved to be eaten by animals, which eat the flesh surrounding the hard endocarp or ingest the entire fruit and later vent the endocarp. If the endocarp is crushed or damaged during ingestion or digestion, the animal will be exposed to the toxins within the seed. The processes of mastication and digestion, and the degree of immunity to the particular toxins, vary widely between species, and there is accordingly great variation in clinical symptoms following ingestion.
The fruits are poisonous or narcotic to humans if eaten in large quantities. According to Chinese medical literature, human poisoning can occur if 6–9 fruits, 30–40 seeds, or 400 grams of bark are eaten. The toxins include neurotoxins and unidentified resins, found mainly in the fruits. The first symptoms of poisoning appear a few hours after ingestion. They may include loss of appetite, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea, bloody faeces, stomach pain, pulmonary congestion, cardiac arrest, rigidity, lack of coordination and general weakness. Death may take place after about 24 hours.
Some hummingbirds like the sapphire-spangled emerald (Amazilia lactea), glittering-bellied emerald (Chlorostilbon lucidus) and planalto hermit (Phaethornis pretrei) have been recorded as feeding on and pollinating the flowers, though only opportunistically. Bees and butterflies do not use the flower (or the nectar), so it serves no pollinator benefit in places where it has been introduced such as the United States.
The plant was introduced around 1830 as an ornamental in the United States (South Carolina and Georgia) and widely planted in the southern states, where its leaves were used to repel insects and its berries were used for homemade whiskey and soap. The plant was introduced into Hawaii in 1840. It is considered an invasive species in Texas, Oklahoma, and as far north as Virginia. U.S. nurseries continue to sell the trees, however, and the seeds are also widely available. It has become naturalized in tropical and warm temperate regions of the Americas and is intentionally planted in similar climates around the world. It is an ornamental tree in the southern part of Korea.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Melia azedarach by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
