Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Melia azedarach L. (MELIACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Chinaberry, Pride of India, Cape Lilac

Description

Medium-sized deciduous tree 20-45 m tall. Leaves 20-40 cm long, bipinnate or occasionally tripinnate, leaflets 3-11 on each side of rachis, serrated. Flowers showy, 1 cm long, lilac, in axillary branched clusters. Fruits c. 1-2 cm across, ovoid to globose, yellowish brown.

Ecology

Deciduous lowland forest.

Distribution

India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Indochina, S China, S Japan and Irian Jaya.

Uses

Planted as ornamental, as windbreak, sometimes used as traditional medicine.