Chinaberry
Melia azedarach L.
Also known as: Persian lilac, Bead tree, Pride of India
Family: Meliaceae
8 to 15 m tall
Planted as a shade and avenue tree in southern France
Flowering: April – May
Full sun
Hardy to about -12°C, grown mainly in the south of France
🍃 Leaves
Deciduous, compound, bipinnate to tripinnate, toothed leaflets, medium green
🌸 Flowers
Small, pale mauve with five petals, scented, in large panicles
🍎 Fruits
Small round yellowish drupes, persisting all winter after leaf fall
🪵 Bark
Grey-brown, fissuring lengthwise with age
🗺️ Distribution
Native to South Asia and Australasia, widely naturalised around the Mediterranean
🐝 Value for pollinators
Scented, nectar-rich flowers, visited by bees in spring
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted for its fast shade, scented flowering and decorative fruits that persist in winter
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Fruits (and seeds) very toxic if ingested by humans and domestic animals (tetranortriterpenoids/meliatoxins); a few berries are enough to cause serious digestive and neurological disorders, with fatal cases reported in young children and in animals that ingested fruits fallen on the ground.
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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