Paradise Tree Melia azedarach
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- MEE-lee-uh ah-ZEH-dar-ak
- This plant has medium severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- This plant is an invasive species in North Carolina
- Description
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Chinaberry is a deciduous tree native to a wide area from India through China to Australia. It has naturalized throughout warm-temperate regions and the tropics. It is considered invasive in North Carolina and elsewhere in the Southeast. It is a member of the neem family (Meliaceae). The specific epithet is derived from the French 'azédarac,' which in turn is from the Persian 'āzād dirakht' meaning 'noble tree.'
Chinaberry has been used as an ornamental plant, shade tree and fuelwood. Unfortunately, chinaberry has all the qualities of a successful weed. This plant is adaptable to many environmental conditions, is virtually disease-free and thrives in disturbed areas. As an invasive species in North Carolina, it is found at the edges of roads, in openings in forests, and in thickets and fields all across the state except western areas. It has a rounded crown with stiff coarse branches. The trees tolerate a wide range of soil types.
Several cultivars have been developed. Surprisingly, the cultivars come true to type when propagated by seed, so vegetative propagation is not required. Unfortunately, the cultivars have many of the weedy, aggressive tendencies of the species and are not recommended for any garden.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Weedy and listed as invasive in many southern states and by the NC Invasive Plant Council.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Floribunda'
Dwarf, sparsely branched cultivar. Can be propagated by seeds. - 'Jade Snowflake'
The leaves are variegated with white. Found by Scott Ogden in TX and introduced by JC Raulston. - 'Umbraculiformis' (Texas umbrella tree)
A multi-stemmed tree to 25 ft. tall with an umbrella-shaped crown. Can be propagated by seeds.
- 'Floribunda'
- 'Floribunda', 'Jade Snowflake', 'Umbraculiformis' (Texas umbrella tree)
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Floribunda'
Dwarf, sparsely branched cultivar. Can be propagated by seeds. - 'Jade Snowflake'
The leaves are variegated with white. Found by Scott Ogden in TX and introduced by JC Raulston. - 'Umbraculiformis' (Texas umbrella tree)
A multi-stemmed tree to 25 ft. tall with an umbrella-shaped crown. Can be propagated by seeds.
- 'Floribunda'
- 'Floribunda', 'Jade Snowflake', 'Umbraculiformis' (Texas umbrella tree)
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Melia
- Species:
- azedarach
- Family:
- Meliaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Used as a fuel source
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Asia
- Distribution:
- Southern USA
- Wildlife Value:
- Fruit eaten by birds and may attract hummingbirds
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Food Source
- Dimensions:
- Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 30 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Poisonous
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Rounded
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- High
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Spring
- Winter
- Fruit Type:
- Drupe
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The 0.4-to-0.5-inch fruits are mucilaginous, wrinkled drupes that are sticky, with hard, round, marble-like seeds. Yellow to yellow-green, they are formed after flowering and can persist after leaf drop in the fall and through the winter to spring.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Pink
- Purple/Lavender
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Star
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- In spring, fragrant, lilac-like flowers are produced in leaf axils. Lavender-lilac flowers are small but numerous on 8- to 16-inch panicles. The flowers have a chocolate fragrance.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are alternate and twice-pinnately (bipinnately) divided with toothed, pointed leaflets. The leaves are 12 to 24 inches long. These leaves have a yellow fall color. The leaflets are up to 2.75 inches long. The undersurface is lighter than the top
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Light Brown
- Red/Burgundy
- Surface/Attachment:
- Furrowed
- Bark Description:
- The bark is a different color from the stems and is usually a dark brown with lighter spots on mature trees and reddish spots on younger trees. The bark has narrow furrows that give it a stripe-like appearance.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Problems:
- Invasive Species
- Messy
- Poisonous to Humans
- Problem for Cats
- Problem for Children
- Problem for Dogs
- Problem for Horses
- Weedy
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Medium
- Poison Symptoms:
- TOXIC ONLY IF LARGE QUANTITIES EATEN. Fruit and tea from leaves-- are poisonous to humans, some livestock, and mammals, including cats and dogs. Poisonous through ingestion. Symptoms post-consumption include stomach irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, irregular breathing, depression, weakness, salivation, seizures, respiratory distress, breathing difficulty or paralysis. Some birds and livestock are not affected.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Tetranortriterpene neurotoxins; also possibly a saponin
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Bark
- Flowers
- Fruits
- Leaves
- Roots
- Sap/Juice
- Seeds
- Stems